Protectors Of The Innocent
by Angelustatt
Summary: First Story in the Protectorverse series. When a single mother gets accused of hurting her baby, it’s up to the Winchester boys to discover what’s really been happening and that’s only the beginning of things. Life will never be the same for the boys.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Notes: This fic is just the first step in a series, I hope. I've made a video for it, that you can find at http://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?vzEIQgil3Ol0 and my mate, fellow aussie and possible twin sister in another life, Tara aka LovinJackson, has made one for me as well that is absolutely stunning and a must see http://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?vAnKPPqB7F0E . Make sure you replace the (dot) with the real thing of course. These vids really bring the fic to life and without them? The sequel would still be sitting neglected..._

_Thanks again, Tara! You rock, mate!! This fic is also for Hez, who made the stunning Winged!John come to life for me...and Mellie, who always plays to my evil side. LOL_

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The hospital was cold, sterile, everything Sam Winchester had grown to hate over the past few months. He ran a tired hand through his thick shaggy hair, wondering if he looked as exhausted as he felt?

The waiting was what got Sam the most. Waiting, not knowing, possibilities of what was happening in the ER itself running through his mind. If there was ever a picture of what Hell was like? It was the waiting room of a small town hospital, complete with those awfully morbid posters for child immunization and various sexually transmitted diseases.

Every footstep drew Sam's attention. How much longer would he have to wait before they could tell him if his brother was ok?

" Please…you've got it all wrong. I'd never lay a hand on him. He's my son for God's sake. I couldn't hurt him!"

Sam locked in on the voice automatically, picking up on the distress. He looked down the hall towards the ER and saw a woman-- in her early thirties, he assumed—talking to what looked like a doctor and a severe looking woman in a power suit, holding a young baby boy. The baby was crying and holding his arms out towards the other woman.

" Please. He's all I've got. The Sheriff said he was looking into it, he said that maybe they got into the house with a key or something? I don't know what happened…but there was something…_someone_ in my house. I found them in Connor's room…they were hurting my baby! " The woman's voice was becoming harder, angrier. " Don't take him away from me…."

The power suit lady seemed to hesitate, then handed the baby back to his mother. Sam watched as the baby nestled into his mother's neck, his cries easing while his mother kissed his head and rubbed his back with a practiced hand.

" You understand we have to investigate these types of reports. If the Sheriff can verify your statement? We'll close the file." Power suit walked away, her heels clicking and echoing down the hall.

Sam sat back in his seat as the mother came into the waiting room with the doctor, taking a seat on the other side of the room. " Skye, if you'll just give me a minute, I'll finish up the paperwork and you can take Connor home, ok?"

Skye nodded, holding Connor protectively as she watched the doctor walking away again.

Sam met her gaze as Skye looked around the room nervously. He gave her a gentle smile, hoping to reassure her he wasn't the enemy. " Cute kid… how old is he?"

Skye narrowed her eyes for a moment, her hold on the little boy tightening. But after a moment, she seemed to relax slightly, noting the complete ease with which Sam was watching them. A shuddering breath escaped her. " Thanks, he's almost ten month's old.…You here on your own?"

" No…my brother got hurt. I'm waiting to see if he's ok." Sam told her, rubbing at the small island dressing on his arm. It was the only injury he'd received on their latest hunt, a small but deep gash to his left arm. Dean….well, Sam wasn't sure what the story was there yet.

" Oh…I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure he'll be ok, though." Skye said gently. He got up and walked over, offering Sam her hand. " Skye Anderson. You're not local, are you?"

" Sam Winchester." Sam shook her hand, noting how soft and warm it felt. He liked Skye instantly, something about her just clicking with him. " No, me and my brother Dean are just passing through. Sort of a road trip I guess you could say."

He shifted over slightly as Skye sat down beside him, resting Connor on her lap. The little boy clapped his hands and blew a raspberry at Sam, making him chuckle. " So everything ok? With the little guy here?"

Skye closed off immediately and Sam felt like kicking himself. A minute passed before she spoke softly. " They think I hurt him. I woke up to find someone in his room, some sort of dark figure. He was hurting Connor. Look…" Skye pulled down the little boy's shirt, exposing a dark purple bruise in the shape of a hand around his neck. A handprint too large to be Skye's. " But you try telling that to the police. They think it's another case of an abusive mother. I had to say it was an intruder…they were going to take Connor away from me. But I know what I saw….it wasn't really there. I could see through it." She took a shaky breath and kissed Connor on top of the head. " I must sound crazy.."

" No..no, really, it's not that crazy. I've heard of that sort of thing before." Sam said, hoping she picked up on the sincerity in his voice.

" SAM??"

Sam's head snapped up and he was out of his chair, rushing out into the hall to see his brother fighting off a nurse who was applying a bandage to his head. " Sam! Will you tell this psycho candy striper that I'm fine and I'm not staying here??"

" Dean…you took one hell of a blow back there. " Sam reminded him, feeling almost weak at the knees with relief at the sight of his brother. Dean Winchester was one of the toughest people Sam knew…but he wasn't invincible. The sling on his arm and the bandage to his temple was proof enough of that.

Dean shook his head, wincing a moment later. " I'm _fine._ There's no way they're keeping me here. Come on, Sam, you know how I feel about these places…."

Sam's stomach tightened as if he'd taken a blow. He nodded, suddenly finding the floor the most interesting place in the world. " Yeah, I know…" Hospitals had been bad news for the Winchester family recently. Sam had to admit, he was happier with the idea of taking his brother back to some mouldy motel room, than leaving him there…or worse, trying to sleep in one of those torturous hospital chairs beside Dean's bed. " Can we get some paperwork signed? I'd like to take my brother home." Sam gave the nurse his best smile and was rewarded with her sighing, then walking away towards the nurse's station.

" Uh, Sam? Is there something you've been meaning to tell me? Did we come through here before?" Dean nudged his brother and pointed towards the waiting room where Skye was standing with Connor on one hip, watching the pair. " About a year and a half ago?"

" Funny…" Sam said dryly, giving Dean a withering look. He signaled to Skye to come over. " Skye? This is my brother, Dean."

Dean gave Skye the once over without even realizing it, taking in the long brown hair with natural blonde highlights through it, the fact she was larger built than most girls that caught his eye, but there was a spark about her that caught his attention. Blue-grey eyes that sparkled with life, a perfectly shaped button nose and soft, full lips. Not model pretty, but damn…she was beautiful. And older…which had never stopped Dean in the past. " Hey there, cute kid…"

" Yeah, your brother beat you to that…" Skye smiled.

Dean's patented smile slipped away. " Oh…well, he's always been good with kids. Too much of one himself, if you ask me."

" This from a guy who still carried his security blanket round with him when he was nine. Don't think I don't remember that, dude." Sam couldn't stop the smile from curling up the corners of his mouth.

Dean looked as if Sam had just shown a naked photo of him to Skye. " That hurts, man…seriously. You've scarred me for life."

Sam rolled his eyes and looked at Skye. " Skye, I was wondering. Maybe me and my brother could swing by tomorrow? Have a look around your house? That is…if you didn't mind?"

" Seriously?" Skye looked surprised. " That would be awesome."

" Great." He tore the corner off an immunization poster and took a pen from a nearby trolley chart, scribbling down his cell phone number. " Here. Just in case you have any more problems. Call us…please? We can help.."

Skye took the number, smiling gratefully, one hand rubbing Connor's back as he curled up into her neck and began to drift off to sleep. " Thanks, Sam. Dean? It was nice to meet you."

She walked away from the brothers then, feeling a little lighter, now that she didn't feel like she was facing whatever was happening on her own.

" Dude…what was that all about?" Dean asked, watching Skye until she had turned the corner and disappeared.

" I think I might have found another hunt. I'll look into a few things when we get back to the motel. You can get some sleep." Sam said firmly.

Dean snorted. " Sleep? Sam, I was knocked out…I think I've slept enough."

" You could have been killed, Dean. What the hell were you thinking? Tackling that zombie like that? You took a two storey fall, dude! You could have snapped your neck!"

" Could've…would've…didn't. What was I supposed to do, Sam? Sit back and watch it claw your insides out? You're lucky you blocked that first swing and that it's only the bite that spreads the flesh rot. Although a few pus filled sores might have won you some sympathy with the ladies…maybe even Skye." Dean wiggled his eyebrows at his brother.

Sam shook his head in disgust. " One track mind, man…"

Dean chuckled as they walked to the nurses' station and signed his release forms. " You say that like it's a bad thing."

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	2. Chapter 2  A Rough Night All Round

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The house was as quiet as it always was. The only sounds in the bedroom coming from the clock ticking softly on the wall and the old mixed breed dog curled up snoring at the foot of the bed. It was a scruffy, bull terrier type breed, grey covering it's muzzle and surrounding it's eyes.

Skye was lost in a deep, dreamless sleep, tangled up in the bedspread, one foot hanging off the edge of the bed. She rolled over, draping an arm over the warm body beside her and snuggled in, a smile crossing her face as she slept.

The low, menacing snarl of the dog stirred Skye, making her open one eye sleepily. In the next instant, she had scrambled backwards across the bed away from the body beside her. Skye had slept alone for the past eight months, since Connor's father had left her. She drew her knees up to her chest, too scared to move or to even consider touching the figure again, it's back still facing her. " Dodger…."

The dog had crawled up the bed to stand between her and the mysterious figure. He barked and growled, every hackle on his back standing on end.

It was all Skye needed to push her into action. She carefully slipped her feet to the floor and backed away, opening the bedroom door. " Dodger…Dodger, come!"

Dodger turned towards her for a moment, then swung back towards the figure snarling as it began to move, to roll over towards Skye.

Fighting back a scream, Skye ran for Connor's room, snatching her sleeping son from his cot and rushing back out the door. She bolted down the stairs, pausing as she reached the bottom. Dodger was still growling and barking upstairs.

" DODGER!"

The air around her was growing icy cold and out of no where, right about her head, Skye suddenly heard deep, laughter. It sent a chill down her spine and turned her stomach to ice as she clutched Connor to her, trying to sooth his screams.

There was a high pitched, strangled yelp from upstairs, followed by a loud thump. Dodger's barking had stopped and there was no sound now except for Connor's cries.

Skye felt tears sliding down her cheeks and she stood there, trembling. The air around her was still bitterly cold when from the top of the stairs, the steady thump of heavy footsteps could clearly be heard.

" Leave us alone!" Skye screamed, snatching her cordless phone from it's cradle and running out the front door. It slammed behind her hard enough to break the glass in it.

Skye stood on the front lawn, cuddling Connor and trying to sooth him through her own tears as she dialed the number Sam had given her earlier.

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Sam's eyes snapped open as he felt the distinct impact of a boot against his leg. He shot his brother a filthy look, wondering what the hell Dean's problem was? _He_ was the one that snored sometimes…especially if he was hurt and unable to move easily.

" Dude…answer your damn phone…" Dean mumbled, pulling his pillow over his head. It was bad enough he couldn't sleep on his stomach like he preferred, thanks to the ligament damage in his shoulder, but now he had to get woken up as well?

Sam turned on the bedside lamp, picked up his cell and frowned for a moment, not recognizing the caller id. " Hello?"

" Sam…it's Skye. I'm sorry to call you like this, but you said if I needed help…and I need help. Something was in my bed…"

" Whoa, Skye…slow down. What do you mean something was in your bed?" Sam glanced at the clock, noting it was 2.48pm. He saw Dean sit up, concern in his eyes.

" There was this…body. Thing…I don't know. It was in my bed, Sam. Please…can you and Dean come over….please? 1452 Tallwood Road."

Sam looked at Dean, acknowledging his brother as Dean struggled to sit up and pulled on his jeans. " Alright, stay out of the house, we'll be there shortly. " He closed his phone and placed on the bed beside him.

" What's happened?" Dean asked, trying to pull his boots on. He was grateful he'd decided to sleep in his t-shirt, saving himself the embarrassment of having to ask Sam for help to get it over his shoulder.

" I'm not sure…Skye says there was something in her bed. She's sounded really shook up." Sam frowned as he got out of bed and dragged on his jeans. He ran a hand through his hair as he looked for his boots, finding them under the foot of the bed.

" Is she alright? The baby?"

" I don't know. We'd better get over there." Sam tried not to let himself get too worried.

" Here." Dean tossed his keys to Sam, smiling as his brother caught them out of the air easily. " Don't get too used to driving…she's still my baby."

" I swear...one day you two are going to have to get a room." Sam shook his head and headed out to the car.

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As the Impala swung around the corner and then into the drive of Skye's house, Sam and Dean could see Skye sitting on the front step. Dean was out of the car just after Sam, the pair walking over the lawn together.

" Aw man…look.." Dean spoke softly, his voice tight.

Sam saw what Dean was talking about, his heart sinking. Skye was sat on the step, Connor curled up asleep in one arm while her other hand trailed absently through the fur of Dodger. The dog was obviously dead, it's head twisted on an unnatural angle.

" He wouldn't come away….stupid dog was always too damn protective." Skye's voice was thick with emotion, her eyes blank and glassy with tears. " Stupid dog…he was 12 years old…how was he any threat?" The words were barely a whisper, her hand sliding back and forth through Dodger's fur in one final act of affection.

Dean knelt down in front of Skye, his eyes full of concern. " Animals are very sensitive to anything supernatural….he probably just made it angry. I'm sorry…" He placed a hand on Skye's arm and was glad to see he got an reaction from her. " Are you ok? You and Connor aren't hurt?"

Skye shook her head. " No…we got out of the house when it happened. I only went back in after it was quiet to see if Dodger was ok. I…I found him just lying there…like he'd been thrown at the wall." Tears spilled down her cheeks again. " Stupid dog…why didn't he listen to me?"

Dean could tell that Skye wasn't really angry, it was simply a defense mechanism. He looked up at Sam, noting the pained look in his brother's eyes. " Sam…can you find somewhere nice in the yard to bury him? My shoulder's ruled me out, dude…sorry."

" Yeah…sure. I'll get a shovel from the car." Sam nodded before he walked away.

" Skye? Let Sam take care of this, you come inside with me." Dean offered to help her up.

" Is it safe? I mean…I know it was stupid of me to go in after a dog..but, what if it comes back?" She looked at Dean fearfully.

Dean cocked his head up and noted the soft colour of the sky. " It's going to be dawn soon, we should be ok. Most hauntings usually happen at night. Come on…I'll look after you and Connor. It's ok. Really." He offered Skye a hand up and gently pulled her to her feet. " How about you show me where you keep the coffee?" Dean followed Skye inside, casting one last look at the dog before they went inside. Whatever they were dealing with….it was nasty.

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Skye had Connor strapped into his highchair, handing him a rusk to chew on and smoothing her hand over his head gently before she set about organizing the cups for coffee. The kitchen was galley style and spacious, everything neatly set out without being too anal about it. Dean took quiet note of where everything was as Skye rattled about. He stepped in finally when she almost dropped the coffee jar, taking it gently from her shaking hands and indicating for her to sit down. " I've got it."

Scooping a generous amount of coffee into one mug, Dean glanced out the kitchen window, watching Sam dig Dodger's grave out by a large tree. " So how long has this thing been after you?"

" What?" Skye looked at Dean, surprised. " How.."

" Sam told me what you said on the phone on our way here. Something's been in your bed, been attacking Connor? Some dark shape…right?" Dean looked at Skye.

She nodded, tears threatening but not quite falling. " It's not always a dark shape…at least, tonight it wasn't. It looked like a normal body. I'm going crazy…right? How could I have someone in my bed…when there's no-one in the house but me? How could I feel them…they...it….was warm. How could it be warm? "

" That's what me and Sam are going to find out." Dean assured her. The hissing of the kettle broke the moment, Dean pouring out two cups, then watching Sam again for a moment before he made the third.

The innocent sound of baby laughter caught Dean's attention and he looked over to the high chair, a smile bursting forth as he saw Connor poking tongues at him then giggling. The rusk that had been securely held in Connor's tiny little fist suddenly slapped Dean in the chest as Connor threw it, then clapped his hands and squealed in delight. " Hey!"

" He likes you." Skye smiled, noting the softness that had been showing in Dean's eyes. She watched as Dean picked the rusk up off the counter, casually inspected it to ensure it was clean, and then handed it back. " Nice arm there, little buddy."

Silence crept into the room after that, Skye watching Connor quietly but stealing small glances at Dean while he drank his coffee. "You said supernatural before…"

" Huh?" Dean looked across his cup of coffee as he sipped it and Skye noticed the smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose, the paleness of his skin making them all the more obvious. Then she found herself drawn in to his green eyes and for a moment, she held her breath, scared she would drown in the pain she saw deep beneath the surface. Pain that wasn't only caused by his injured shoulder. What was his story? Or Sam's for that matter? Why were they helping her?

" Outside…you said that dogs are sensitive to the supernatural….and you said that hauntings usually happen at night. You really think this is some kind of haunting? That it's some ghost that out to hurt me? Hurt my son?" Skye looked over at Connor and was rewarded with a smile from the baby that broke the dam and sent tears spilling down her cheeks.

" Hey…hey.." Dean sat down next to Skye and placed a hand on her arm, squeezing gently. " It's gonna be ok. We're gonna take care of this."

" Thanks.." Skye smiled shakily through her tears, wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt.

" So it's just you and Connor then?" Dean inquired quietly.

" Yeah. Jason walked out not long after Connor was born. Let's just say we agreed to disagree once too often. Finally it became obvious that whatever we'd had? Wasn't working anymore now that a baby was in the picture." Skye told him, surprised at how easy it was for her to talk about it all to a stranger. But there was something in the way Dean looked at her, that told Skye he was listening, not just hearing her… but actually listening.

The first soft fingers of dawn were creeping across the sky as Sam entered the kitchen. He washed his hands in the sink and gratefully accepted the cup of coffee Dean handed him.

Skye wanted to thank Sam for what he had done, but right at that moment she wasn't sure she could trust her voice to hold out. Instead, she concentrated on finishing her coffee and making a bottle for Connor. But as she watched the brothers, one thing was obvious. They were both exhausted. " You two look ready to drop. Why don't you get some sleep in my room? I've got a spare bed in Connor's nursery. I used to sleep there when me and Jason fought after Connor was born. The idea of being a father never quite gelled with him." She said it matter of factly, despite the hurt she felt over what had happened.

" We wouldn't want to put you out.." Sam said, shaking his head lightly.

Skye let out a tired, sharp bark of a laugh. " Please…I'd be glad of the company. I'm not sure I want to be here on my own anymore…"

Sam noted the dark circles under Skye's eyes. Sleep had obviously been an issue for her recently too. There was no way they could leave her here alone. Not after what had happened. But Sam also got the impression that Skye wasn't about to be chased away from her home either. " We've got some rock salt in the car." He looked at Dean. " Maybe we can cover the doorway and the windows in the bedroom? If we move the cot and the mattress from the spare bed in there? We could all get some sleep without having to watch our backs?"

Dean nodded. " Makes sense. Spirits can't cross rock salt." He explained to Skye, seeing relief seeping into her face.

" Alright then. Sam? You give me a hand to move the cot and the mattress. Dean? You go and lie down on my bed."

" Whoa…wait a minute—"

" Wait a minute nothing. You're as white as a sheet. Just how much pain are you in, anyway?" Skye fixed him with a serious look, her hands planted on her hips.

Dean squirmed, not liking the focus on him all of a sudden. " I'm fine. It's nothing."

" Bull." Skye walked to a cupboard above her fridge. She took a small white bottle from it and handed it to Dean. " Vicodin. Now go and lie down…please?"

Dean popped the top off the bottle and swallowed a couple of the small tablets, washing them down with the dregs of his coffee. " I'll get the rock salt from the car. Meet you upstairs."

Skye watched him walk off before she spoke to Sam. " Did I do something wrong?"

" No. Dean's just not the kind of guy who admits to pain. It's that whole tough guy act, you know?" Sam smiled, but his concern for his brother was clearly written on his face and echoed in his voice.

" It's a good thing he has you then, huh?" Skye returned Sam's smile as she unbuckled Connor from his highchair. " Come on, I'll show you where the nursery is."

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Half an hour later, the bedroom was ready. Connor had been settled into his cot in the corner and the spare mattress was on the floor at the foot of Skye's bed. A thick line of salt circled the room, covering every window and both the bedroom doorway and the one to the ensuite.

" Ok…Dean, you take my bed. Sam? You can have to spare mattress. " Skye suggested.

" What? And you sleep on the floor? No way. I'll be fine on the floor, Dean can have the mattress." Sam stated. It wasn't as if he hadn't slept on a floor before.

"Sounds good to me." Dean said. " That mattress looks comfortable enough."

" Dean, you're hurt." Skye argued.

" I'm fine. I don't need babying."

" No you don't. What you need is some sleep and you won't get that lying on that damn mattress on the floor with an injured shoulder. You're gonna take my bed." Skye glared at him, then shot Sam a hard look. " And there's no way you're going to be comfortable on the floor either, Sam. Take the mattress."

" I'm not going to throw you out of your own bed." Dean shook his head, his green eyes darkening as he returned her challenge.

" Fine. You stay on your side, I'll stay on mine. " Skye shrugged, climbing onto the bed and laying down, making sure she would be on Dean's uninjured side. She patted the bed beside her. " Come on…I don't bite."

Sam fought unsuccessfully to hold back a chuckle and stretched himself out on the spare mattress, watching Dean climb onto Skye's bed with a scowl on his face. He shuffled himself around until he finally found a position that allowed him to relax a little without much pain. Skye waited until he was settled before she gently rolled over onto her side and looked over at Connor's cot. She watched the gentle rise and fall of her baby's chest until it lulled her into sleep.

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Skye wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep before the noise crept through the layers of her subconscious and woke her. Her eyes immediately when to Connor, finding her son sound asleep still. The soft, guttural noises and groans were coming from beside her. She sat up quietly, watched Dean as he shifted in his sleep, eyes squeezed tight, his face wet with tears.

Reaching over, Skye brushed her hand through his hair and over his brow, avoiding the bandage on his temple, murmuring to Dean softly in a soothing tone. He stilled at her touch and seemed to relax again.

The briefest of movement caught Skye's attention and she found Sam watching her from his mattress. " We someone close to us recently….Dean's had nightmares ever since." His voice was hushed, not wanting to wake Dean up. Sam knew all too well how pissy his brother would be if he found out what he was saying. This was a chink in his brother's armour. One that hurt Sam deeply to watch. No matter how much be tried to broach the subject with Dean, he got shut out each time. The stubborn son of a bitch liked to keep his pain to himself. Anything else was an admittance of weakness in Dean's books. _No chick flick stuff…._

Dean suddenly rolled over, curling into Skye and startling her. She froze, waiting for him to wake up. But nothing happened. Arranging herself around Dean, careful not to knock his injured shoulder, Skye eased herself back against the headboard and let herself relax. She gently combed her fingers through his hair, smiling as it seemed to relax him a little more. The years seemed to melt off Dean as he slept, any tiny lines smoothing out and leaving him with the face of a little boy. He was stunningly beautiful. Perfect lips, a strong jaw. The sort of guy Skye could easily fall for….if she would let herself.

But that was not an option. That wasn't why Dean was here and Skye was under no illusions that once they had helped her, that he wouldn't be on his way again. No…falling for him was not an option at all.


	3. Chapter 3  Everything Falls Apart

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The first thing Dean was aware of when he awoke, was the fact his head was in a woman's lap. Not exactly the worst place in the world to wake up, but as he blinked away the remnants of sleep, his blurry brain tried to recall just how he'd gotten there in the first place. Everything suddenly snapped back into place with startling clarity and Dean sat up sharply, yelping as the torn ligaments in his shoulder sent white hot flashes of pain through his body.

Skye jumped at the sudden movement, stirring herself. She found Dean staring at her, wide eyed and the beginnings of a blush colouring his cheeks. " Hey…"

" Yeah…uh…sorry…"

" For what? Using me as a pillow? " Skye smiled. " It's not the worst thing I've had a guy do…trust me." She climbed off the bed and went over to Connor's cot. The little boy was sat up, holding the bars of the cot like a tiny prisoner waiting for parole. The instant he saw his mother, he opened his arms wide and giggled. Skye scooped him up and kissed him. " Hey sweetie.."

Sam let out a yawn as he sat up and scratched the back his head. He glanced at his watch and noted that it was just after ten in the morning. They'd managed to get a few hours sleep after all and he felt all the better for it. The mattress had been a damn sight softer than a lot of the motel ones he'd gotten used to. Getting to his feet, Sam stretched, making his already tall frame seem impossibly taller. " I'm going to go back to the motel room and get the rest of our stuff. I'll grab us something for breakfast if you like? Skye, you need anything while I'm out?"

" No, I'm good, thanks."

" Dean, any requests?"

" Naw man, I'm not hungry." Dean shook his head. He saw the look Sam gave him and rolled his eyes. " I'm fine, Mom…it's just a little early for me to be thinking of food."

" Whatever." Sam sighed, not seeing the point in arguing. He didn't like the fact Dean looked so pale still and could slap his brother for insisting on playing down the pain he was in. If Sam had been quicker on his feet that last hunt, Dean wouldn't be hurt at all. In his mind's eye, Sam could still see the fall Dean had taken in slow motion. The sickening impact. Sam had been sure at the time that Dean was dead and it was a fear that Sam prayed would never be realized.

" Alright, alright, if you're gonna be a pissy bitch about it, you can get me some poptarts. Frosted brown sugar cinnamon. No strawberry…you know I hate that crap." Dean grumbled. " And a bag of peanut M&M's."

" I got it, man, Poptarts and M&M's. " Sam repeated as he checked his pocket for the Impala's keys, then left the bedroom.

" Poptarts and M&M's? You're not serious?" Skye felt ill just thinking about it.

" What?" Dean gave her a puzzled look that on him, was too cute. Skye chuckled softly and shook her head. " I'm going to cook you two a decent breakfast while you take a shower. " She crossed the room and took a towel from the cupboard near the ensuite, than handed it to Dean. " Go on, take as long as you want. I should have a few things of Jason's around still, he was about your size, maybe a little smaller, but they should be ok."

Dean opened his mouth to protest, then thought about it. How long had it been since he'd been able to have a long hot shower without using all the water or having Sam pounding on the door bitching at him for taking so long? He had to admit, this beat the hell out of the nasty little motel room they'd been in before. " Alright…thanks."

" See you downstairs when your ready. I'll make us some more coffee." Skye offered, taking Connor downstairs, humming to him as she went.

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It was the smell of fresh percolated coffee and bacon that hit Dean as he came down for breakfast. The t-shirt and jeans that had been left on the bed for him were a pretty good fit, if a little snug. Skye noted as much when she saw Dean enter the kitchen, unable to stop herself from checking him out. Oh yeah, he was definitely bigger than Jason, and obviously looked after himself.

Handing Dean a coffee, she pushed him out of the kitchen. " Go on, go and sit at the dining table. Breakfast's nearly ready…Sam had better hurry up if he wants it hot."

As if on cue, Sam came in dropping two duffel bags near the dining room door and inhaling deeply. " What smells so good?"

" Sit down, Sam, I'm just about to serve up." Skye instructed, scooping the food onto two plates and carefully carrying them to the table. There was a sizable piece of steak, eggs, bacon and French toast. " You guys look hungry."

" Whoa…" Dean breathed, his stomach rumbling as he eyed the food, then tucked into it. " Aw man, this is good…this is really good." The words were muffled through a mouthful of food.

" God, Dean, the baby has more manners that you.." Sam laughed, then nodded at Skye. " Thanks, but you really didn't have to."

" I know. But hey, it's no trouble. You need any washing done?" Skye asked, sitting down at the table herself with a plate of French toast.

Dean coughed, nearly choking on a piece of bacon. He shook his head furiously as Sam thumped him on the back, then managed to choke out. " No way…you're not doing our washing for us." The thought of Skye handling his boxers just a little too embarrassing for him as his cheeks began to flush the faintest shade of pink.

Skye let out a short soft laugh and held up her hands in mock surrender. " Alright, alright…I'll show you where the washer and dryer is, Mr. Modest. "

" It's just that…you know.." Dean gave up and dropped his head in defeat as Sam sniggered beside him, Skye unable to stop giggling herself.

" So, Skye…have you lived here long? " Sam asked, deciding that it was in Dean's best interests to turn to topic of conversation towards Skye's ghostly attacker.

" Almost two years."

" And nothing has happened before now? No strange noises, flickering lights, things going missing then turning up? Nothing out of the ordinary?"

" No." Skye shook her head. " Nothing at all. That's what's so weird about it all. I've lived in haunted houses before, but nothing like this."

" You've lived in haunted houses before?" Dean's head snapped up.

" Well yeah….who hasn't? I mean, I used to see things as a kid, hear things…not all the time, though. I'm not exactly Haley Joel Osment. But you know how it is, you move house enough, you're bound to move into a couple that aren't entirely vacated, if you know what I mean? My eldest sister used to get me to enter a house first when she moved. If it felt weird to me? She'd refuse to move in. Said I was the best ghost detector she'd even seen. That's why I don't understand what's happening here. I didn't feel anything when we first moved in. " Skye shrugged, the move casual and barely noticeable. " Maybe I'm losing my 'Shining'…"

" Like my man Jack!" Dean grinned.

" You liked that movie? I was always more partial to the Simpson's spoof on it, myself…" Skye teased, seeing the affronted look on Dean's face. Ok…so he was a BIG Jack fan, by the sounds of it. They can't all be perfect.

Getting up from the table, Skye collected the now empty plates and put them in the dishwasher. " All I know is, this place was fine…then a couple of months ago? Things started happening. I can't explain it."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look before Sam got up and went to the duffel bags. He came back to the table with both their father's journal and his recently acquired laptop. Dean flicked through the journal, his face lined with concentration. " What are we dealing with here? Some sort of demon? A poltergeist that's attached itself to the baby? What?"

" We need more to go on." Sam said, logging on to one of the more helpful websites he'd found in recent weeks. " Skye, what was the first thing you noticed?"

" The first thing? The cold spots I guess. I'd walk into Connor's room to check on him and find that it was like a freezer in there. At first, I thought it was just a really cold room in the house. But then they started to show up all over the house. I would hear footsteps, sometimes laughter….but it was only recently that I saw anything. That was when the attacks started."

" What are you thinking?" Dean looked at his brother.

" I'm thinking I should go and see if the town library has anything. Maybe some town history? Maybe I can find the original town plans for this area…see if it digs up anything about the land itself? Then we can do a sweep of the house with the EMF meter, see if we get anything."

" Sounds like a plan." Dean agreed, getting out of his chair. " Let me know how that whole library thing turns out. I'm gonna go and rest my shoulder…doctor's orders, you know." He winked at his brother as he went into the living room.

" You're such an ass, Dean." Sam yelled.

" Takes one to know one, dude." Was the only reply he got in return.

Skye found Dean in the living room shortly afterwards, channel surfing with the TV remote. " Well since you've made yourself at home? How about you keep an eye on someone for me? I have to get some clothes for him upstairs. I'll be right back."

Dean looked down to see Connor sitting at his feet. The chubby little boy offered his biggest smile and promptly brought up a mouthful of milk with a wet burp.

" Oh okay…oh man, that's just wrong." Dean looked around for something to clean the kid up with as Connor lurched forward and began crawling towards him. " Whoa, dude….wait a minute. No…hang on there." Grabbing a tissue from the nearby coffee table, Dean swiped the vomit from Connor's chin just as the baby latched on his jeans, giggling.

Connor bounced up and down, testing out his shaky legs while hanging onto Dean with a death grip. Dean watched with a mixture of horror and amusement, wondering what the hell it was that made him so attractive to kids? Women he could understand…but kids?

" Dean tried to pry the baby off his leg with his good arm, only to find that Connor switched his grip from his jeans to his fingers. " Aw come on, little guy, give me a break here."

Flicking through channels again in the hope of distracting his tiny tormentor, Dean paused as four brightly dressed idiots, with a giant green and yellow spotted dinosaur, plus some geek dressed as a pirate, danced singing about hot potatoes and mashed banana. He was about to shut the TV off in horror, when it dawned on him that the tugging on his jeans had stopped. Looking down, he saw a look of pure joy on Connor's face. " Oh you gotta be kidding me? This? This is what you like? Dude…you seriously need some educating."

Sitting down, he pulled Connor up onto his lap, staring at the screen for a moment in sheer agony before he changed channels in a bid to escape the torture. The instant the four brightly coloured gimps were gone, Connor burst into tears.

" Hey, no...it's okay…aw, come on, man…please?" Dean pleaded, trying to shush Connor but finding his efforts unsuccessful. With a sigh of defeat, Dean turned back to the other channel. The crying softened, then stopped, Connor watching the TV again and giggling through his recently shed tears.

Two more songs later and Dean was certain of one thing. " They're evil. Nothing can be that cheerful singing about ducklings walking over a hill without something demonic being involved." He informed Connor, giving the baby a knowing wink. Connor giggled and smacked Dean in the face with a chubby hand, then leaned in and gave him a drool covered kiss.

Dean twisted his head away, laughing as he wiped his face with the back of his hand. " Save it for the ladies, pal…"

" Dude…are you watching the Wiggles?" Sam appeared in the doorway.

" What? No!" Dean exclaimed, hitting the button on the remote and turning off the TV

" Dean, I know what I saw."

" I wasn't watching anything….it was Connor." Dean grumbled stubbornly.

" Sure, whatever."

" At least it wasn't porn…"

" Shut up." Sam frowned, flipping Dean the finger. Dean covered Connor's eyes, looking at Sam indignantly. " Hey! Hey! Hey! Not in front of the little guy!"

Sam rolled his eyes. " Look, I'm going to the library...where's Skye?"

" She went upstairs to get Connor some clothes.." Dean stated, then thought about it. " Wait a minute…how long does it take to get a change of clothes?"

" You think something's wrong?" Sam started for the stairs, noting how quiet the house was. Pausing at the base of the stairs, he called out. " Skye? Skye…everything ok up there?" When there was no answer forthcoming, Sam started up the stairs, two at a time. " Dean, stay with Connor."

Dean walked back and forth, holding Connor with his good arm and trying not to think of the pain that seared through his other shoulder when Connor wriggled and slapped him with his chubby little hands.

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" Skye?" Sam pushed open the nursery room door, not knowing what he would find and for one crazy, frightening moment, he could imagine finding Skye pinned to the ceiling, blood dripping from a terrible wound to her stomach before she burst into flames.

That wasn't what he saw, but the sight still took the breath from his lungs for a second. Skye was hanging in the air, the pull cord from an antique ceiling fan wrapped tightly around her throat. Her leg was still twitching as she slowly swung back and forth.

"DEAN!" Sam grabbed Skye's legs and tried to lift her, hoping to take the strain off her neck and give her fighting chance. He couldn't hold her and free her at the same time, he needed Dean's help.

Bursting in like the cavalry, Dean took one look at the situation and froze for a second, stunned.

" Dean, cut the cord! I can't let her go! " Sam yelled, struggling to hold Skye.

His head back in the game, Dean pulled his pocket knife from his back pocket, pleased that he'd had the presence of mind to make sure he was carrying it after his morning shower. Dragging an antique trunk across the floor and jumping on top of it, he cut the cord and stepped back as Sam caught Skye and lowered her to the ground, removing the cord from her neck and wincing at the deep purple and black bruising that was already forming.

Placing a hand over her mouth, Sam looked up at Dean, his eyes widening with panic. " Dean...she's not breathing."

Lying Skye on the floor, Sam was preparing to start mouth to mouth when the air was filled with the terrified screams of a baby. Both brothers shared a look before Dean swore.

" Go…protect Connor, I've got this." Sam instructed. " Dean, go!"

Without another word, Dean raced out of the room and downstairs.

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" Come on…come on…" Sam pleaded between breaths, still checking for a pulse and finding it strong. With a sudden jerk, Skye opened her eyes and coughed, sucking in a deep, whooping breath of air and shuddering in Sam's arms as she sat up, curling into his chest.

"Shhh…it's ok, you're okay now." Sam tried to reassure her. He could see the dark, bruised outlines of hands on her arms, indicating something had grabbed her and grabbed her hard.

" I couldn't fight it. One minute I was getting Connor's clothes…the next, it had me…and it was so strong! I couldn't fight it…I couldn't stop it. It lifted me up and wrapped that cord around me." Tears filled her eyes and slid down Skye's cheeks as she spoke, her voice still a choked whisper. " I couldn't breathe…all I could think about was Connor."

Her eyes became as big as saucers then. " Oh my god…Connor, where is he?"

" It's okay…Dean's got him. Come on, we're getting you both out of here." Sam helped Skye up, trying not to scare her anymore than she was. His own heart was pounding, wondering what was happening downstairs….was Dean okay?

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Connor's wail caught Dean's attention and his heart all but stopped as he saw a ghostly black shape shimmering together just in front of the baby. Connor was still

sat just in front of the TV where Dean had left him. His chubby little face was red as he screamed, completely helpless against the apparition just a few feet away.

" Leave him alone, you son of a bitch." Dean rushed into the room, scooping up Connor and tucking the baby against him as he tried to evade the figure and escape the room. Without warning, Dean felt his feet leave the floor as he was bodily thrown into the wall, curling himself around Connor to shield him from the impact. Pain blossomed through his shoulder, white hot and feeling as though the skin was splitting open to reveal raw nerve endings and shredded tendons. For a moment the world turned grey and threatened to fade out all together as he hit the floor. Shaking his head to clear the fog rolling in, Dean suddenly felt a pull on his arms. He was instantly alert, locking his arm around Connor and pulling back against the apparition that was now stood over them. It was trying to wrench Connor from his grasp, each pull feeling as though his shoulder would tear open at any moment. Dean gritted his teeth, twisting away from the thing and trying to put himself between Connor and whatever the hell it was that was so determined to take the baby that was screaming in terror against his chest.

" DEAN!"

Sam and Skye were stood in the doorway of the living room. Skye tried to rush forward to her son, biting back a scream as the dark figure turned and looked her way.

" Skye, no…stay back." Sam warned, putting himself between the figure and her. A wind began to pick up in the room, ornaments being lifted from shelves and flung around at breakneck speeds.

" Sam, get Skye out of here!" Dean yelled, hunching himself protectively over Connor and trying to make for the door.

Before Sam could respond, the figure rushed him, slamming into Sam, driving him and Skye out of the room and into the far wall of the dining room.

" SAM! Dammit…" Dean growled. He had to protect Connor first, but then? He was coming back for that son of a bitch apparition.

Dean managed to get to his feet without passing out or dropping the baby, a feat he was pretty proud of, cause at that moment, the room was definitely seesawing up and down. Hopefully some vicodin and a shot of bourbon would solve the problem later when they were safe.

He got out the front door and jogged across the lawn, making it over to the Impala parked in the drive. Leaning against his beloved car, Dean tried to soothe Connor, humming Metallica softly as his mind raced with what he should do?

Watching the door, Dean could feel a knot forming in his stomach. He'd hoped Sam would be right behind him, that he would be able to shake off the apparition and escape. But as the seconds ticked by, Dean knew something was wrong. He had to go and help, had to make sure Sam was safe. It was a behaviour born all those years ago when he'd been entrusted with his brother's life in a burning house. He had to protect Sammy.

But he also had to keep Connor safe. Dean's mind raced with ideas until he settled on the safest place in the world. The Impala. It was Dean's own safe haven, the beast that had pulled him, his brother and their father from the jaws of any number of creatures over the years. If Connor was safe anywhere…it was in that big bad Chevy.

Popping open the back door of the Impala, Dean slid Connor into the middle of the backseat, checking there was nothing the kid could hurt himself on. He reached over the front and turned on the stereo, Motorhead's Ace of Spades, thumping through the speakers. " Ok, little guy…stay here. I'll be right back with your mom and Sammy."

" Sam! SAMMY!!" Dean held his good arm up to shield his eyes as he re-entered the house, finding it utter chaos inside with a vicious wind whipping up all manner of debris. " Sam…answer me!"

"Dean! In here!"

Dean found Sam and Skye trying to shelter in the kitchen. Skye was curled into Sam as he tried to shelter her from the tornado of flying debris. Crockery, cutlery, even the contents of the pantry were flying around at breakneck speed and Dean could see a cut just above Sam's right eye where he'd taken a blow from something. Sam tried to wipe the blood from his eye and looked for Dean. " Dean, watch out."

Barely avoiding a dinner plate to the back of the head, Dean dropped to his knees and slid towards Sam, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward. " Come on.."

Huddled together, the three of them managed to escape the house, Skye tucked in between the two boys.

"What in the name of all things holy is going in here?"

Sam, Skye and Dean all looked up to see the local Sheriff standing on the front lawn, his hands on his hips and a guilty until proven innocent look in his eyes. His eyes went from Dean's pale face to Sam's cut eye to the bruises on Skye's neck, before they settled on Skye again. " Care to explain, missy?"

" Sheriff…I…uh…what are you doing here?" Skye's heart was pounding in her chest as she tried to compose herself. Her voice was still whispery and dry, but finding strength slowly.

" Protective services called me again. They wanted my report on what happened to the baby. I thought I'd give you a heads up." Sheriff Hoffstead gave Sam and Dean suspicious looks, instantly pegging them as troublemakers. " Who the hell are these two, anyway?"

Dean had seen that look all too many times before. He'd lost count of the amount of piss-ant towns he had to steer clear of for fear of being arrested on sight. Dean Winchester and law enforcement were just not a winning combination. Ignoring the pain that was threatening to drop his knees from under him, Dean straightened and faced the Sheriff, meeting his gaze coolly. " We're Skye's cousins. I'm Dean Baxter and that there's my brother Sam."

" Skye never spoke about any cousins before. Or any family for that matter…."

Dean shrugged, cool as ice though the move sparked liquid hot pain through his side. " We're not exactly a close family. You know how it is sometimes.."

Sheriff Hoffstead looked at Skye for confirmation, his suspicions not eased when she nodded in agreement with Dean.

" You said Protective services had called you? What's going on? " Skye couldn't keep the anxiety out of her voice. Behind the Sheriff, another car pulled up to the curb and Power suit lady climbed out. " Sheriff?" Skye felt as though she was going to be sick.

" I've got a court order here for the removal of baby Connor into protective custody."

" No." Skye shook her head. A frightened wail came from the Impala as Power Suit lady opened the back door and took Connor out. " Get away from him! You can't do this!" Skye ran forward and tried to snatch Connor back. Power suit lady stepped back, refusing to let go of Connor as he screamed and reached for his mother.

" I have the court's backing on this. There has been a claim put through the department to remove this child from his mother for his own safety." Power suit--who's ID badge said Mason-- informed Skye coldly. " If our investigations show that there is no cause for concern, you can apply to have your son returned. In the mean time, he will be staying with relatives."

" What relatives?" Skye demanded, furious.

" His paternal grandmother has applied to care for him. You are required by law to have the child's belonging packed for him. Clothing, any favorite toys…whatever he will need."

" He needs me."

" Really? Did a ghost give you those bruises too, Ms Anderson?" Mason asked coolly, her entire body language screaming of disdain for Skye. In her eyes, Skye was nothing more than an abusive mother with a possible mental problem. She dealt with Skye's type all the time and had an exemplary record to back her up.

" Give me my son!" Skye tried to take Connor from Mason again, her fist cocking back to slug the welfare worker clean in the jaw. Both Sheriff Hoffstead and Dean were on the move then, Hoffstead pulling out his handcuffs and moving to intercept Skye. Dean got there first, blocking Skye's way and gently holding her back with his good arm. " Skye…listen to me. This isn't going to help Connor."

" She can't take him! Dammit, Dean…he's all I've got!"

" I know." Dean said softly, looking her deep in the eyes. " We'll get him back. I promise. But not if you do this."

" You promise?" Skye pinned all her hopes on that one word.

" Yeah. I do." Dean nodded curtly, his eyes never leaving her. Once Skye had calmed a little, Dean looked over her shoulder to Sam, seeing the look his brother was giving him. That _are you out of your goddamn mind? We can't promise that_ look.

Dean looked away, turning to stand beside Skye. He had placed Connor in the Impala with the hope of keeping the little boy safe….but monsters weren't always supernatural, sometimes they hid behind suits and red tape. Dean had no idea how he was going to help get Connor back…but he would. A Winchester didn't give his word unless he meant it.

" Skye, you've got a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Like what in the hell has been going on here? You three look like you've had seven layers of hell kicked out of you. Did you lot get into some sort of domestic? Is that how the baby got hurt the other night?" Sheriff Hoffstead questioned as Mason carried Connor to her car.

" You son of a…" Dean snarled, fixing the Sheriff with a glare that could cut steel.

"Dean, don't." Sam warned, just as pissed off, but not willing to spend the night in a lock up for what Dean was likely to say next.

" We had another break in…Dean and Sam tried to stop them, that's all. You don't believe us? Go and have a look…the place is all busted up! They killed my dog and everything!" Skye screamed, ignoring the searing pain it cause her battered throat. She wanted to slap the Sheriff, beat the crap out of Mason for touching her son…but in the end, all she could do was lie and hoped it helped her somehow.

" Wait!" Skye raced after Mason and stopped her before she could strap the baby in. Running a hand over his head, Skye caressed his soft blonde hair and gently cupped his cheek before she kissed him wrapping her arms around him slowly and holding him tight. " Mommy loves you, Connor…it'll be okay. I promise."

It took Mason a moment to gently pull Connor free, Skye taking a step back on shaky legs, her knees buckling beneath her. Strong arms stopped her from hitting the ground and Skye turned to see Sam holding her, Dean just to his right.

" Easy." Sam gently helped Skye back onto her feet, giving her an arm to support on.

They stood at the curb, watching Mason's car as it drove away with Connor. Skye felt like folding in on herself, her heart aching in her chest, tears welling in her eyes.

Dean's fists clenched and unclenched, his stomach in knots. Now he understood his father's fears, why they had always moved around so much. Why the smallest bruise or the odd broken arm or leg was such a problem. Well meaning people, teachers and neighbours reading the wrong thing into something and branding John an abusive father. It all made complete sense to Dean now and he hated how helpless he felt, standing there. Dean Winchester didn't do helpless.

" Skye…you should have those bruises looked at. We'll take you to the hospital." Sam spoke softly, his voice echoing the pain he was feeling at what had just happened.

" I…I'm fine. I'll get the Sheriff to take me. I need to sort out Connor's stuff, make sure he has what he needs for now." Skye pulled away from Sam and started towards the house.

" Skye…" Dean stepped towards her.

Skye put her hand up, shaking her head. " Don't, Dean. Just….just get out of here. You've done enough. Just get out of here…" She turned her back on Sam and Dean, walking to the Sheriff and getting into his car.

Dean looked at Sam for a moment, stunned by what she'd said before his eyes angry became angry, but his face a mask. " You heard her….let's go. That motel should still have a room for us, right? We can hold up there for the night. Give us a chance to get cleaned up. I'll go to the local drugstore, get some more vicodin. Tomorrow morning? We hit the road."

" Dean…what about the spirit in Skye's house? We're not finished here."

" You heard her, Sam. She wants us gone. So let's get gone, then." Dean walked to the Impala and climbed into the passenger side, cranking up the stereo and effectively telling Sam the subject was closed.

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	4. Chapter 4 Revelations

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Sam pushed open the door to their motel room, wrinkling his nose at the stale smell. " You know, one day, Dean? We're gonna have to have to find a better class of motel to stay in."

" What? And break tradition?" Dean deadpanned as he walked in behind his brother. He dropped his bag on his bed, looking around the room for a moment before he suddenly picked the bag up again and hurled it at the wall, the move causing pain to blossom through his damaged shoulder with a renewed ferocity. " Dammit!"

" You done?" Sam watched Dean carefully, waiting to see if another eruption was imminent before he dropped his guard.

Dean rounded on his brother, rage and frustration pouring out of him in tidal waves. " We screwed this up."

" We did what we could, Dean."

" Don't give me that bullshit, Sammy. I'm in no mood for the company line right now, ok? We're supposed to protect the ones that can't protect themselves. That little baby needs to be protected and we let him down. I let him down." As quickly as it flared, the anger burnt out and Dean sagged down onto the bed behind him, his head bowing. " That could have been us once, Sam. One more bottle of booze for Dad and someone a little sharper at calling in the authorities? And you and me would have grown up in foster care. They could have split us up. We'd have lost Dad…I'd have lost you. And that yellow eyed bastard would have won. You'd have been on your own with no training to keep you sharp, no idea of what had happened that night….and then he could just…."

The words died in Dean's throat as he shut down that train of thought. It wasn't going to happen. He would never let anything happen to his brother. He'd already lost Dad, losing Sam was just not an option ever. Not even if it meant he upheld that vow with the last breath and last drop of blood in his body.

" So…you want to talk about it?" Sam asked softly, sitting down on his own bed.

" Talk about what?" Dean refused to meet his eye.

" Dad. How you've been avoiding dealing with his death."

" This isn't about Dad."

" The hell it isn't." Sam countered. He was sick of Dean trying to avoid the issue all the time, putting on that stoic face when inside he was so broken, Sam was scared he'd never be able to put his brother back to together again.

" Stop trying to psychoanalyze me, Sam! We should be finding a way to help Connor and Skye, not talking about Dad. Dad's gone. You stood there with me and watched him burn. So shut the hell up about Dad and help me work out what we're dealing with at Skye's house. The sooner we kill that son of a bitch, the sooner Skye can get Connor back and we can be on the road. That's what this is about. Doing our damn job and moving onto the next one." Dean snarled, getting to his feet and stalking towards the door.

" You like her, don't you? Skye?" Sam saw the way his question stopped Dean in his tracks, his hand frozen on the door handle.

" Leave it alone, Sammy….please." It came out quiet plea, a voice that Sam was afraid of. Desperate, raw, hurt. The voice that had pleaded for his life when the demon was opening Dean up like a piece of rip fruit.

" Where are you going, Dean?" Sam asked, his voice tired.

" Out. I need some Vicodin if I want to be able to think straight. That apparition did a number on my shoulder."

" You need to have that looked at."

" No… I just need something to kill the pain so it can heal on it's on. I've had enough of doctors and hospitals, Sam. They're nothing but a waste of time. The laptop's in the back of the car, why don't you see what you find out while I'm gone?" Dean closed the door behind him and began walking down towards the drugstore they'd passed earlier. He needed time to clear his head and come up with some sort of plan.

Dean had known more women than home cooked meals in his life. He was definitely a love them and leave them type. It was all about the moment, the chase, the brief respite he found in their arms from the world he lived in.

Sure, he liked Skye…he cared for her and Connor as much as he did for any of the people he had helped in the past. That was why he did this, that was why he fought for them so hard…because they were good people and he cared about what happened to them. That's as far as it went. Anything else was just Sam's overactive imagination…because after Cassie and Jo? Dean Winchester didn't let his walls down for any woman.

As he left the drugstore, Dean took the bottle of Vicodin from the paper bag it had been wrapped in, screwing it up and tossing it in the trash before he tucked the bottle away into a jacket pocket.

" I really made a balls up of things back there."

Dean turned to see Skye standing behind him. Her throat looked awful, a thin red line where the skin had been broken standing out against the deep black bruising that surrounded it. She took a step forward, her eyes apologetic. " I was a complete bitch to you, Dean. I'm sorry. If you want to walk away…it's ok, I'll understand."

" No harm done." Dean shrugged. " It's not the first time I've had that said to me."

Skye laughed, the sound bitter and choked as her eyes filled with tears. " Oh, that makes me feel so much better. God…this can't get much worse."

" Hey...come on. It's okay. I'm not pissed at you for what you said. People lash out when they're hurting. I get that, really. But we are going to fix this. It's what me and Sam do. We're going to take care of that son of a bitch and get Connor back. I gave you're my word, didn't I?" Dean ventured, offering Skye a smile, one eyebrow cocked sexily.

Skye nodded, dragging the back of her hand across her cheeks to wipe away her tears. " You're one of a kind, Dean."

" Well yeah." He grinned smugly. " Always have been. Come on, let's grab some coffee before we head back and see what Sam's found out."

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It was amazing how quickly the conversation became light and relaxed as they drank coffee and just talked. It was something Dean was good at, talking to women, winning them over. But there was nothing predatory in this conversation. He wasn't here to score, he was just trying to get to know Skye a little better and damn, if maybe Sam could read Dean a little better than he gave his brother credit for.

" Favorite movie?"

" Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2." Dean rattled off quickly.

" You're kidding?"

" What? Hot chicks with swords, lots of action. What's not to like?" Dean winked. " Yours?"

" Punisher."

" Punisher?" Dean's eyebrows raised in disbelief.

" Oh what…a woman can't like a movie with guns in it? " Skye smiled. " Hot guy, hot car….so yeah. Punisher." She watched Dean for a moment, her smile becoming a full on grin. " Okay…and the Notebook."

" Ha! I knew it."

" Oh bite me, you did not." Skye slapped Dean on the arm. " Alright, biggest phobia?"

" Flying."

" Seriously?? Me too! As far as I'm concerned? Metal wasn't made to fly. At least I can try and jump out of car if it's gonna crash. What are you gonna do in airplane? Grow wings yourself? No thanks….I'd just as soon not be there. " Skye said in all seriousness. " But clowns run a close second for me. And cockroaches." She shuddered at the very thought of them.

" Clowns? So you must hate the movie It?"

" Hate it? No way, I love it…scares the hell out me, but that's half the fun! It's real clowns that scare me. Some of those guys are just not adjusted enough to be dealing with kids. They get real surly sometimes. I'm pretty sure telling a five year old to piss off is NOT normal behaviour…" Skye smiled at the memory.

Dean laughed, wondering what Sam would make of that comment. All he had to do was mention It and Sam got nervous. He was such a girl at times…although Skye was starting to rewrite the rules on that now.

" So how the hell did you guys get into hunting ghosts for a living? I mean, most people want to be a policeman or a fireman when they grow up…" Skye said with a smile. It died a moment later as she saw the look in Dean's eyes, the way the walls slammed up and his own smile faltered, then died altogether. " I just put my foot right in it, didn't I?"

Dean looked away, his thumb circling the rim of his coffee cup. " I pulled Sam from a fire when he was a baby. My Mom died. It was just me, Sam and our Dad after that. Now it's just me and Sam… our Dad…passed, a few months ago." It was like a hot knife to the stomach, bringing up that memory.

" Wow…I'm sorry, Dean. I had no idea."

" It's okay. Really. It's not like you could have known."

" I still feel like a complete idiot." Skye sighed. " No wonder you and Sam are so close. I envy that."

" You envy us?" Dean looked back at her finally.

" It'd be nice to have someone give that much of a damn about me. My family washed their hands of me when I married Jason. I've called them, wrote letters…nothing. They just wrote me off as a lost cause. I tried to contact them when the attacks happened, tried to ask my Dad if I could come home. But he slammed the phone down on me. "

" You're kidding?"

" Did that sound a like a punch line?"

It was Dean's turn to shake his head. He could recall with startling clarity, how much it had hurt when Sam had walked away to college and not returned Dean's calls. How much it had torn their Dad up, despite how stubborn the man had been about holding his ground after that argument.

Dean had lost count of the times he had begged his father to call Sam, to go to Stanford and try and make him come home. But John had his pride and had refused. Sam, too, for his part, had let the argument fracture their family for longer than it ever should have been. But Dean couldn't imagine either Sam or his Dad ignoring a cry for help from one of them. That wasn't what family did. Family was meant to be there for you, no matter what. They were meant to fight and argue and make up…and maybe even die for each other, but you didn't just give up on them.

Someone had forgotten to tell that to Skye's family, apparently.

" So it really is just you and Connor then?" Dean said finally. " Must get lonely."

" Sometimes. It's sad watching Connor get so big, cut a tooth, that sort of stuff and not have anyone to share it with. That's when it sucks the most. But hey, it's their loss, not mine."

" Yeah.." Dean said, a trace of a sad smile on his lips. " We should get back to Sam, see what he's found out."

They left the diner and walked back to motel in silence, each lost in thought. Sam was sat cross legged on his bed, the laptop in front of him, his face pinched in thought as he read site after site.

" Found anything useful?" Dean asked, trying to shrug his jacket off. He settled for Skye helping him, giving a curt nod of thanks before he sat down on the opposite bed, Skye taking a position a few feet down from him.

" Yeah. I tried looking up the description of what we saw and even though it was pretty non-descript? It seems we're dealing with a vengeful spirit." Sam stated matter of factly, before he looked up from the laptop, his eyes widening slightly in surprise as he realized Dean hadn't returned alone. A tiny smile turned up the corner of his mouth before he went back to what he'd been reading. It seemed that Sam had been right about Dean and Skye after all.

" A vengeful spirit? You're kidding? Is there anything on the house…some background we missed? Someone who died?" Dean asked before he looked at Skye. " Although you said you've lived there for two years and nothing happened before?"

" No…nothing. I don't get it."

Sam looked up from his laptop. " The house is clean, man. No history of any deaths, not in the house or the land it's on. There's no reason for there to be a spirit in there at all. But I did some other digging around, looked up the local court records and look what I found." He slid the laptop around so that Dean and Skye could see the screen.

It was the paperwork from Protective Services, indicating the action they were to take involving Connor.

" Dude...we already know this. What's the deal?" Dean shrugged.

" Look at the name of who authorized it. " Sam insisted.

" Anne Stapleton?"

" That bitch." Skye growled, her hands clutching at the bed covers she was sat on.

Dean frowned. " Who the hell is Anne Stapleton?"

Sam rolled his eyes, knowing his brother hadn't bothered to read the rest of the application form. " Connor's paternal grandmother, Dean. She works at Protective Services. Judging by this, she's set up all the paperwork herself to get custody of Connor. That's a major breach of policy."

" But I don't get it….what's that got to do with what's happening at my house?" Skye demanded.

Sam closed the laptop and climbed off the bed. " That's what we're going to find out. We go back to the house, do some readings and see if we pin point where this spirit is."

Dean was up then. " Alright then. Let's do it."

" I'm coming with you." Skye got up off the bed.

" The hell you are. That spirit almost killed you once, there's no way you're going back in there." Dean argued.

" How you plan on stopping me?" Skye said angrily.

Dean held his ground, though, his eyes blazing. " You've got your son to think of. This isn't going to be easy, you know. What we do is dangerous. I'm not going to have you getting hurt again. You're staying here and that's the end of it."

" Screw you, Dean. You think I don't know it's dangerous? I've seen what it can do…felt it. Fine, I get that you guys are good at this, it's your job and all that. But this is my house, my son. I'm not sitting this out." Skye crossed her arms. " Besides, your hurt, Dean. Sam can watch your back…but can you watch his?"

Letting an angry breath hiss through his clenched teeth, Dean admitted defeat. " Fine. You can come. Just stay close and keep your eyes open, ok? This is going to get nasty."

Skye nodded and followed the boys out the door to the Impala.

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" Anything?" Sam asked as Dean swept the EMF device back and forth. He had a shotgun full of rock salt in his hands, Skye carrying the other one uneasily. They were both flanking Dean, watching for any movement at all.

" Nothing. I don't get it, Sam. This place should be lit up like Vegas by now…but it's like there's nothing here." Dean shook the EMF, checking it was turned on for the tenth time.

They reached the nursery, Skye feeling a pull in her chest as she saw how empty the room seemed to her with Connor's clothes and toys missing. She had packed them all under the watchful eye of the Sheriff and watched him drive away afterwards with her son's precious belongings.

" Whoa…wait a minute." Dean stopped dead, crouching down and passing the EMF over the same patch of floor a few times, watching as the needle jumped, the LED's lighting up them going out again. " It's not reading as strong as I thought it would.."

He looked around the room, his eyes widening as it dawned on him. " That trunk…the antique I stood on to cut Skye down…where is it?"

" I sent it with the Sheriff. Connor's toys were in it." Skye explained.

Dean moved to where he had last known the trunk to be, feeling a chill pass through him for a split second as he spotted the remains of the fan cord lying where it had been thrown after Sam removed it from Skye's neck. The EMF reacted again, a little stronger this time. " Skye…where'd you get the trunk from?"

" From Anne…." Skye's voice was small and sick with fear. " It arrived one day with a card from her. Full of toys and clothes, she said she was trying to make up for her son being such a jackass….." Her knees buckled, sending Skye to the floor, her heart pounding in her chest. " I sent it back to her with Connor."

" Dean…we have to get to Anne. It's still after Connor…" Sam said grimly, already heading for the door as Dean helped Skye to her feet.

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	5. Chapter 5 Into The Fire

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The Stapleton house seemed quiet and normal as the Impala pulled up to the curb outside. Dean and Sam shared a look before they climbed out the car, Dean walking around to the trunk and grabbing out a shotgun, handing it straight to Sam. He took out his favorite .45, checked it was loaded with consecrated cold iron rounds and slipped it into the belt of his pants, opting for the front rather than behind because of the restrictions on movement from his shoulder. Extra rock salt shells and two spare clips were taken as well.

" You ever handled a gun before?" Dean canted his head towards Skye, his lips pursing grimly as she shook her head. He handed her a Glock, allowing Sam to quickly demonstrate how to take the safety off and cock it. " Just in case…we don't know what could happen in there."

They walked up to the door, Sam and Dean flanking Skye and watching the door as she knocked nervously at first, then with more insistence.

A light switched on above their heads before the door opened and they were greeted by Anne Stapleton. She was a slim built, severe looking woman, folds of skin hanging from her neck as a sign that she'd once lost a lot of weight, too fast. Her ice blue eyes regarded the trio, annoyance flickering on her face. " Skye…you have no right to be here."

" Where's Connor? I need to see him."

" He's asleep. Now get the hell off my porch before I call the Sheriff. I'm sure the judge would look favourably on a trespass charge." Anne's cold smile curled her lips.

" That's it." Skye too a step back and looked at Dean. " Hit her."

" Excuse me?" Dean's jaw popped open in surprise. He could see Sam mirroring his look with his own variation of disbelief.

" Pop her one, Dean."

" Skye, I'm not hitting a woman." Dean shook his head, disturbed by the idea.

Skye rolled her eyes and then spun in one fluid motion, her fist sailing up to catch Anne under the jaw. The punch rocked the older woman backwards before she collapsed to the floor. Skye stepped straight over her and raced down the hall towards the stairs that led to the second floor of the house. All but flying up the stairs, Skye found her son in the back bedroom, bouncing up and down in his cot like a tiny prisoner. Scooping him into her arms, Skye held him close and drew in his familiar baby scent, before she turned towards the door….and watched it slam shut.

Moving back, her arms clutching Connor to her chest tightly, Skye's chest tightened in terror as a dark shape appeared before her, blocking the doorway. Flames suddenly ignited at the spirits feet and spread out across the floor to lick at the walls, the cot and anything else around them. The fire burst into life with frightening speed, engulfing the doorway and forcing Skye to back up further. The spirit advanced on her as Skye pulled the Glock from her jeans, nursing Connor in one arm and aiming for the thing's chest as she opened fire on it. The slugs tore through the apparition and slammed into the wall behind it, leaving ragged holes in the dark shape that caused it to scream.

" Get the hell away from my son!" Skye screamed, firing until the clip was spent. The fire was still crawling towards her, Skye searching the room for a way to get out.

Pounding came from the door, followed by Dean's voice. " Skye! What's going on in there?"

" Dean! The room's on fire…please…help!" It hurt to yell, the smoke getting thick and choking in the room as the heat from the fire began to be unbearable. Skye went to the window, looking out to see it was a straight drop down, not even a ledge to try and ease herself out onto.

" Skye! Pass Connor to me!" Sam suddenly appeared, running around the side of the house and holding his arms up. " I'll catch him…I promise. You have to lower him as much as you can, then let him drop. I'm right here. I'll catch him."

He could see the hesitation in her eyes and didn't blame her for a moment. His heart was pounding in his chest so hard, Sam was sure it was going to burst forth at any moment. Behind Skye he could see the flames licking up the walls to the ceiling, fueled by all the flammable books, toys and furniture that lined them. " Skye…come on. I'll catch him…I swear."

Skye nodded, realizing it was fast becoming a choice between risking the drop for Connor or losing him to the fire. " Alright…"

Sam danced back and forth, light on his toes, hands outstretched as the little boy fell from the sky and into his waiting arms. He buckled at the knees to compensate for the catch and drew Connor in close to his body, relief surging through his body as an adrenaline chaser when he heard Connor screaming against his chest. Looking back up, he saw Skye framed in the window. " Skye…come on…jump!"

As she braced herself against the window frame, the apparition curled around her waist like smoke, and with a choked scream of terror, Skye was pulled back into the room and out of Sam's line of sight.

" SKYE!!!" Sam watched the window for another second before he rushed Connor to the Impala and locked the little boy inside. He ran back to the house, finding Anne gone from the doorway. Looking around, he could still hear Dean pounding on the door, yelling Skye's name and swearing.

There was startled yelp and Dean went silent.

" Dean?" Sam started for the stairs and found his way blocked by Anne. She was furious, brandishing a fire poker as she faced him. " Get out of my house…you're making him angry!"

" Who? Who are we making angry, Anne? Who's been attacking the baby…who's been attacking Skye?" Sam demanded, glancing up the stairs to try and see if he could spot Dean. " Where's my brother…what have you done with him?"

" He's dead…they both are. Jason will make sure of that. I just have to take care of you." Anne launched herself towards Sam, the fire poker swinging towards him on a high arc that would have creamed him in the skull, if Sam hadn't thrown up an arm to block the blow. He heard a sickening snap as his radius bone broke under the impact, the pain driving Sam backwards in a desperate attempt to avoid the next wild swing.

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" Dean…oh god, please wake up." Skye shook Dean as he lay sprawled on the floor, only a few feet from the flames. There was blood running down one side of his face, a scalp wound evident at the hairline just behind his right temple. " Dean!"

Skye could feel splinters from the window pane still biting into her hands, her right one curled into against her body to shield the three broken fingers she'd suffered when the apparition had pulled her back into the room. Ignoring the pain, Skye dug her good hand into Dean's shirt and tried to drag him as far from the flames as she could, until their backs where against the wall. The flames were like a living creature, devouring all they could and moving with un-natural intelligence to shepherd them away from the window, trapping them against the far wall.

Skye tried to comfort himself with the fact that her son was out of the room and hopefully safe with Sam. But she didn't want to die…not like this with fire licking so close to their feet that Skye could see her shoes smouldering. " DEAN! WAKE UP!"

Dean's eyes snapped open and he skittered back away from the flames with a terrified, strangled yelp. The whole room was ablaze, the flames close enough to scorch his skin and feel like hell itself. Fire was already a terrifying sight for any man or beast…but for Dean Winchester it carried that special brand of terror that only a childhood trauma could. The sight of his mother burning was never ever going to be removed from his mind. Jess either. The only reason Dean didn't wake up night after night screaming his lungs bloody, was the fact he consoled himself in the knowledge that he had pulled Sam from the flames both times.

But who was going to save Dean now? He felt a body beside him and snapped his head around to see Skye clutching at him, tears pouring down her face as she coughed and choked on the thick smoke that was making each breath they took like breathing broken glass.

For the briefest moment, Dean considered the .45 he could still feel nestled in the waistband of his jeans. It would be quick and painless. Skye…then him. Better than burning to death, that was for sure.

But that line of thought was discarded instantly. Dean wasn't going down like that, leaving Sam alone in the world and there was no way he would take Skye away from Connor either.

Steeling himself against his own terror, his heart thudding against his rib cage like an animal desperate for escape, Dean took Skye's hand in his and gave her a sharp, hard look. " I'm not dying like this. Not now, not ever. You keep hold of my hand and you don't let go…ok?" He could see she was losing the fight to stay with him, to stay awake. Dean was getting hazy himself, the smoke making it hard to think, suffocating his mind. " Ok, Skye?"

Skye nodded. " Go…do it."

Pulling themselves to their feet, Dean shrugged his jacket off, gritting his teeth against the ripe, fresh pain that blossomed in his shoulder and draped over them both. They were curled into each other, Dean's good arm over Skye's shoulder, holding her tight to his side. " When I give the word, we're going for the door. It's gonna hurt like hell….but we can do it. Ok?"

" I trust you, Dean." Skye coughed, cupping a hand briefly to his cheek. They made a break for it, running through the flames and biting back screams as their clothes tried to catch alight. With a snarl, Dean grabbed the door handle with his hand twisted up in his t-shirt, feeling it scorch his skin, but having enough time to yank the door open and barrel them out through it.

Collapsing out in hallway, Skye sucked in air, too weak to move. She felt Dean take her arm and staggered to her feet enough to stumble forward and away from the immediate danger. Dean dropped beside her, coughing thickly and shaking from the effort.

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Sam was still backpedaling downstairs, having moved back into the living room as he dodged Anne's frenzied attacks. His broken arm was curled against his body.

" Who are you anyway? You're not Skye's cousins…you lied to the Sheriff." Anne swung again, just missing planting the poker in Sam's ribs.

Reacting without thought, Sam snapped out a punch that caught Anne square in the nose, his reach being further than hers. There was an advantage to being a giant at times. Sam would remind Dean of that later.

Blood gushed out as the fist connected and Anne's legs went from under her instantly, making her sit down in an almost comical way. Sam was on her in an instant, bunching up the front on Anne's dress in his hand and pulling her close as he snarled. " What did you do, Anne? Where's the trunk?"

Anne just laughed, her mind clearly starting to unhinge. " He still loved her…the damn idiot. I tried to tell him…it was the baby that mattered. Not her, not that little tramp. Connor is the one we needed. He's Jason's boy. But Jason didn't want to hear it. Not even as I hit him with that hammer to make him see sense." Tears ran down Anne's cheeks as she spoke. " I just lost my temper with him. He was so worked up over her…she was all he thought about, never the baby…never my grandson. I just wanted him to stop and think, to listen to me. But once I started hitting him…I couldn't stop. There was so much blood…so much.."

"Anne!" Sam barked, feeling sickened by what he had heard, but desperate to stop all this and save Dean. If he could…what if she was right? What if Dean really was dead? " Where's the trunk?"

He saw her look over his shoulder and turned, spotting it instantly. Pushing himself away from Anne, Sam rushed over and locked a hand on the trunk. He pulled it towards the doorway and outside into the garden, then ran to the Impala's trunk and took out the axe he knew Dean always carried. Running back to the trunk, Sam began swinging the axe one handed, biting back a growl of pain from his other arm.

The axe sunk into the wood easily, splitting it open like a raw wound.

A hysterical shriek filled the air and Sam's head snapped up in time to see Anne before she barreled into him, knocking Sam on his back, driving the air from his lungs.

Trying to bring up his good arm to fend her off, Sam could see he was going to be too late. Anne was already thrusting the poker downwards, aiming to drive it deep into his chest.

But she froze a moment later, the poker just kissing the skin before Anne was hauled off Sam and thrown through the air by the apparition.

Sam sat up, his stomach churning as he watched Anne try and fight off the enraged spirit she had murdered. The fight was over quickly, Anne left dead on the front lawn of her own house.

Sam got shakily to his feet as sirens filled the air. He started towards the house with a heavy heart, seeing most of the top storey now well ablaze.

" Dean…." It came out a heartbroken whisper.

" Sammy??"

Sam's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw two dirty, bloody and disheveled figures emerge from the house, arms around each other. " Dean! Skye! You're ok!"

Dean gave his brother a tired grin as he flopped bonelessly down on the grass verge beside Skye. She lay on her back for a moment, staring up at the night sky, before rolling over to curl into Dean, her head on his chest as Dean slid an arm around her.

Sam walked over to the car and carefully extracted Connor, soothing the little boy as he carried him to Skye and smiling the instant she sat up and enveloped her son in her arms, pain and injury forgotten.

" Thank you…" Skye said softly to both boys when Sam lowered his tall frame down on the curb next to Dean. The Winchester boys grinned in return, knowing they'd done the job they set out to do.

" You lot ok? Stay there…the ambulance is on it's way.." A fireman called as they set up to put out the blaze.

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	6. Chapter 6 Second Chances and Goodbyes

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" You know? I'm starting to get a sense of déjà vu, here." Skye shook her head and looked around the hospital waiting room. She was sat with Dean, the pair of them sporting various small bandages and dressings over the minor burns they'd received escaping the bedroom. Skye's broken fingers had been set and she kept them away from the tiny prying hands of Connor as he amused himself by walking around on the furniture.

" Maybe I should go and check on Sam?" Dean looked towards the Emergency Room, his brow knotting slightly in concern.

" He'll be out in a minute, Dean. It doesn't take long to set an arm and the doc said it was a pretty clean break. I guess we all got lucky." Skye watched Connor as he maneuvered his way around the magazine table. Tears welled in her eyes and she swiped them away before they could fall. " This is over, right? We're safe now?"

" You will be. Sam and I are going to take the trunk out somewhere secluded. We'll salt and burn the remains to be sure it's over." Dean assured her softly, knowing it had to be hard for her to digest.

" And Jason's bones were in the trunk? Hidden under the floor of it?" The thought was sickening. How could Anne have been so twisted?

" Yeah. That was how she was trying to control him. There was some pretty dark magic involved."

" But I don't get it…why Connor? Why did Jason try to kill Connor, if I was the target of Anne's plan?"

" That's the thing with spirits. All that rage and anger at his murder? It's hard to focus and in the end, Jason didn't care who or what he hurt. He was just lashing out, trapped by an evil bitch that couldn't care less about him. It's like I've always said to Sam…demons and monsters I get, humans are crazy." Dean offered Skye the ghost of a smile. His father had given up his life for him…while there were people like Anne that killed their own son and turned him into a vengeful spirit for their own twisted purposes.

Skye nodded, wishing there could have been a better ending to it all than trying to explain to Connor one day, that his father was dead.

The little boy giggled from where he was standing, one hand on the magazine table, the other reaching towards Dean. With unsteady, tottering steps, he stumbled over and grabbed Dean's knees, reaching up to snag his hand around the amulet hanging from Dean's neck.

" Whoa…hey, you like that huh?" Dean pulled Connor up onto his lap, pulling the amulet over his head and letting Connor play with it. " Might have to get you one of your own little guy."

Looking over at Skye, the grin that was plastered on his face froze when he saw the tears shining in her eyes. " Skye? You ok?"

" He took his first steps." The words were barely a whisper, Skye watching Connor with wide eyes as a stunned smile appeared.

" His first…? Oh." Dean looked down at the pudgy little boy gnawing on his amulet contentedly. He remembered Sam's first steps, taken just after his brother's first birthday and how for the first time since Mary had died, that their father's eyes had been bright and happy. The smile Dean had seen on his father's face that day was something he would never forget.

The smile that was on Dean's face when he looked back at Skye, stole the breath from her lungs. He got it. Right there and then, Skye could see without a doubt, that Dean understood the significance of what had happened and more than that, he was pleased to be a part of it. The walls Skye had been holding up against allowing herself to fall for Dean, were beginning to collapse.

The sound of someone clearing their throat politely, startled Skye out of her thoughts. She turned and felt her heart skip a beat, seeing Sheriff Hoffstead standing beside her. " Skye…can we talk?"

" I…uh…"

Dean stood up, still holding Connor. " It's ok, I'll take the little dude down to see if Sam's ok. Give you two some space." He waited a second longer to witness Hoffstead nod curtly in agreement, then walked away, resting Connor on his good side.

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" Uncle Saaaammmmy!!!"

Sam looked up from the gurney he was sat on, seeing a small round head giggling and drooling at him from behind the privacy curtain. " Dean…stop being such a dork."

" But Uncle Saaaammmmy….I wanna play clowns with youuuuu" The voice sing-songed as Connor's head bobbed up and down behind the curtain.

" You know, Connor's the more mature one out of you two." Sam shook his head, unable to stop the grin that was turning up the corners of his mouth. " By a long shot."

Dean appeared then, curling Connor against him in a way that Sam knew was instinctive more than anything. Dean may have been his chief caregiver and guardian while Sam was growing up, but he'd never been old enough or big enough to have carried his brother like that.

" So they done with you yet? If I have to read one more tabloid in that waiting room? They'll be checking me into the psyche ward."

" Yeah, the doc'll be back in a minute with a prescription for me. Then we can go. Where's Skye?" Sam looked past Dean.

" She's talking to the good old Sheriff. I figured I'd get Connor out of there. See how you were, if you'd tried picking up any nurses yet with your puppy dog eyes?" Dean waggled his eyebrows and leered.

Sam rolled his eyed and snorted. " Dude, I'm not desperate like you."

" How are you my brother? I swear, man, Dad found you on the doorstep, cause no brother of mine would turn down a chick in a nurse's uniform."

" Shut up."

" See, Connor? This is how not to be. Remind me to teach you the fine art of picking up the ladies and using that natural charm of yours to it's full potential." Dean spoke in a low, conspiratorial voice to the baby.

Sam was about to grab the pillow from the gurney and ditch it at his brother's head, when the doctor reappeared and handed him his prescription. " There you are Mr. Horton. This should cover you for any pain. Make sure you keep the cast dry and it comes off in a few weeks."

" Thanks Doc." Sam nodded, hopping off the gurney and walking with Dean and Connor towards the waiting room. They could see Sheriff Hoffstead still talking to Skye, before they shook hands and the Sheriff walked away. Skye stood there for a moment, just taking deep breaths. As soon as she saw Sam and Dean, a giant smile burst forth and she rushed forward to throw her arms around Sam, then Dean, planting a warm kiss on Dean's lips afterwards. " You kept your promise!"

" I did?" Dean shot his brother a look, wondering just what he had done, but liking the reward all the same.

" The Sheriff looked into that breach of conduct by Anne…he's found evidence at the house that something happened to Jason there. They're going to fully investigate what Anne was up to. But the good news? I'm off the hook! The Sheriff thinks that the breaks ins I lied to them about? The attacks on Connor? Were all to do with her…they've given me Connor back! You said you'd get him back for me…and you did!" She hugged him again, then hugged Sam, kissing him softly on the cheek.

Sam smiled, knowing that it was him that had given the Sheriff all the information on Anne, everything he had dug up. He'd made sure that Anne was exposed for Skye's sake….and was happy to let Dean take the lion's share of the praise. A blind man would see how Skye felt for Dean…despite how stubborn his brother was at admitting these things to himself. A little nudge towards something never hurt…

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Later that night, Connor had finally been tucked into bed in his own nursery again. Sam and Dean had stayed for dinner after returning from burning the trunk and ensuring that Jason was well and truly at rest at last.

The clock was striking eleven when Sam suggested they should be heading off back to the hotel if they were going to get on the road in the morning.

" I'll walk you out." Skye offered. She paused in the doorway, watching the two brothers as they stood on her front step. It was almost surreal to think of how only a short time ago, her world had been in tatters. Now because of these two strangers…these two boys without a home, without a family…Skye had been given back both of hers. There were no words to express how grateful she was, so Skye didn't bother trying. She simply hugged Sam, squeezing his huge frame warmly and placing a hand to his cheek. " Thank you."

Then she pulled Dean into a embrace, her breath warm on his neck, eyes squeezed shut. " You be careful out there…"

Taking a step back, she gave them a shaky smile.

" Look after Connor…he's a great kid." Sam said earnestly, before taking the keys from Dean and heading to the car. Even with a broken arm, he was better condition for driving than his older brother.

Dean stood on the step for a minute, scratching the back of his neck and smiling nervously. "So…you're going to be ok?"

Skye nodded, not trusting her voice at that moment.

" I'd better go, Sam's waiting…" Dean leaned in to kiss Skye, his lips brushing hers gently. It was all the contact they needed to ignite the fire. Skye's hand slid around to the back of Dean's neck, pulling him in as the kiss deepened. Dean's hands slid down to encircle her waist, drawing Skye flush against him. Two shaky steps backwards and they were against the doorframe, the kiss becoming hungry and desperate, both of them unwilling to break contact for a moment.

Skye drew Dean back into the house with her, determined that if they were to go their separate ways? She would have this one moment with him. They both needed this. One simple moment of connection, two lonely souls that had crossed paths and found something in common. Whether that was loss or loneliness, no longer mattered. It was all about this moment….anything else would be dealt with later.

Out in the Impala, Sam smiled to himself and kicked the engine over. " Finally…I thought you were beginning to slip there, bro…"

He pulled away into the night, heading back to the motel and a night's sleep that wouldn't be disturbed by his brother's snoring.

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The first thought that rippled through Dean's mind when he opened his eyes the next morning, was 'I could do this every morning. Just wake up somewhere normal, with a someone in my arms.'

He was getting tired of the road, of the constant motel rooms and living out of a post office box.

Skye was still asleep, curled up on Dean's chest, one arm tucked over him, the rest of her spooned up against him in a perfect fit. He brushed a few stray hairs away from her face and studied Skye for a moment. It wasn't like Dean to fall for someone so easily. Not after the Cassie…not after Jo. He'd closed himself down to falling for someone. It was a complication that got in the way of his hunting. How could he keep an eye on Sam and hunt the demon, when he was constantly thinking of some woman he'd left behind? What if he put Skye in danger, just by allowing himself to love her? What if the demon targeted her next?

" Dean, you're thinking too hard. Mind tuning the volume down?"

" Huh?" Dean asked startled. His mind was rushing, trying to figure out if Skye had suddenly become a mind reader. Living with Sam, the human magic eightball of gruesome deaths was bad enough. " How did you…?"

" I've been awake long enough to know that you've been staring at me. Which means your thinking about something and probably something serious. " Skye reached up and kissed him on the tip of his nose, then brushed his lips more deeply.

" Don't, ok? Last night wasn't about tomorrows and what could be's. You're not ready to settle and I'm not ready for someone in my life yet. Let's just take last night for what it was and be happy with that, ok?"

Dean nodded, surprised, not only with Skye's viewpoint, but the weight that lifted from him at the same time. He reached over to the bedside table and picked up his cell phone, flipping it open, before he snuggled in against Skye and snapped a photo, mischievous grin firmly in place. " For posterity." Dean offered as Skye quirked an eyebrow at him.

Sitting up, Skye wrapped the sheet around her as she climbed from the bed and headed for the ensuite. " If I ever hear of that showing up on some brag board? I'll take to that gorgeous car of yours with boxcutter."

" You'd what?" Dean yelped, bolting upright, his eyes widening in panic.

" You heard me." Skye flashed him a devilish smile. " Just keep that photo for your eyes only…." The ensuite door closed and Dean heard the shower a moment later. He slid his feet to the floor and struggled into his boxers and jeans. Connor was crying in the nursery, having just woken up. Dean padded out in bare feet, carefully picking Connor up despite the pull on his bad shoulder. Last night had left him in a little more pain than before, but he wasn't going to complain. " Come on, little dude, let's see if we can get some breakfast going."

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" Come on Connor…we need to park the Impala in the garage.." Dean said through gritted teeth as he tried to get Connor to take a mouthful of baby porridge. The little boy took the mouthful, then spat it back at Dean, showering his bare chest with it.

" I should have warned you about that."

Dean turned to see Skye standing at the base of the stairs, fighting the urge to laugh at the sight of him with porridge splattered across the front of him.

" Yeah…might have been a idea." Dean grumbled, his mood lifting again as he saw the grin Connor was throwing him from the high chair. He waggled a finger at the little boy, " Don't try that on me, pal…I invented that grin…and it only works on women."

" Oh?" Skye raised an eyebrow at Dean, hands on hips.

" Worked on you, didn't it." Dean teased, winking at Skye. He laughed when she threw her hands in the air and laughed, walking to the kitchen to make a coffee for them both.

" The shower's free…use it. Before you drip that all over my floor." Skye pointed towards the upstairs ensuite, smiling.

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Dean came back downstairs, showered and refreshed, to find Sam sitting at the dining room table. French toast and bacon was laid out before them, with a fresh pot of coffee. Skye was still bustling about in the kitchen, so Dean sat down and helped himself to the food, his stomach rumbling loudly.

" Dean…we need to hit the road. I think I've found us a hunt." Sam hated to be the one to spoil Dean's fun, but if he wasn't going back on the road, he wanted to know now.

" Yeah? What'd you find?"

" A school over in Bluefield, West Virginia. Wade Elementary. Apparently there's stories of children running through the halls, even though the place has been shut down for a long time." Sam explained.

" I'm shaking in my boots here, Sam." Dean deadpanned.

" Yeah, well there's also been a woman decapitated and three kids have dropped dead there for no reason while checking the place out. You interested now?"

Dean nodded, picking up a piece of bacon and eyeing it for a moment, before it was tucked away in his mouth.

Skye placed two brown paper bags on the table in front of the boys, along with a stainless steel thermos of coffee. " Some lunch for you both. Ham, Turkey, cheese and pickle rolls."

" Seriously?" Sam's eyes lit up. "That's great. But we can't take the thermos."

" Yeah, you can. I don't need it. It's just gathering dust in my cupboard. Plus, you come back this way? I'll give you a free refill." Skye winked at Dean.

" Our own personal McDonald's." Dean snickered.

" With added perks if you behave." Skye shot back, throwing Dean a smouldering look before she turned her back and cleaned the dishes from the table.

Sam gathered the bags of food and the thermos as he got to his feet. " We really need to be going."

Dean nodded, knowing he was right. Walking into the kitchen, Dean took the pen from where it was attached to a notepad on the fridge, and wrote out a number. He handed it to Skye, before gently cupping her chin with his hand and pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss that left them both a little breathless. " That's my cell number. You call me if you need me, ok? I'm only a tank of gas away…"

Skye leaned into Dean, feeling him wrap his arms around her as she listened to his heart thumping beneath his shirt. After what seemed like too short a time, they parted and Skye walked the boys to the door, collecting Connor from his highchair as they went.

She stood in the doorway with Connor on her hip, watching the Impala as it pulled out of her drive and disappeared up the street. " Be careful…"

Once the house was out of sight, Sam looked at Dean, still not sure that letting him drive a good idea. But Dean had insisted, stating that "his baby had missed him". Sam knew better than to argue with that sort of logic.

" You ok, dude?"

" Yeah… why shouldn't I be?" Dean glanced at Sam, then focused back on the road again.

" You just looked pretty cosy back there, that's all."

" What can I say? Skye's a sweet chick, got a cute kid to boot. But we've got a demon to hunt, Sam. I can't walk away from that. You of all people should know that." Dean said firmly, not looking at his brother.

" I know that, Dean…but that doesn't mean…"

His words were lost as Dean turned up the stereo, clearly stating that for him? The subject was closed as always.

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	7. Chapter 7 Distances and Heartbreak

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Two months later, Dean was in East Lansing, nursing a cold beer in some small time bar, while Sam was across from him at the table, researching the poltergeist they were hunting.

The shrill chirping of a cell phone, caught Dean's attention and he pulled out his phone to see an unfamiliar number had sent him a photo. " What the?"

Opening the photo, a grin spread across Dean's face and he held to phone out to Sam. " Hey dude…Connor's first birthday. Check out the cake."

Sam rolled his eyes, but there was no mistaking the pride in Dean's voice. The photo showed Skye smiling warmly, Connor in her arms and in front of them, a cake in the shape of an Impala. " Cute." He handed Dean back his phone. " Why don't you give her a call?"

" You ok here?"

" I'm good. Go…say hi from me."

" Will do." Dean got up and left the bar, already dialing the number.

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That was how it went for the next six months. Phone calls, photos swapped and the occasional visit when the boys were passing through. A parcel would arrive in the mail for Connor from Sam and Dean.

But it was the phone calls that really became a lifeline. Some of them desperate, some of them lonely.

" _I can't do this, Skye…the smell, I can't stand the smell. Why does flesh have to smell like that when it burns…why does it have to smell like Dad? Like Mom and Jess? My whole life smells like a freaking crematorium!"_

Dean had been drinking and by the sound of his voice, he'd been drinking for a while. Skye wanted to take him in her arms and soothe his pain, soothe away the ragged rawness she heard in his voice that was cutting into her. " Dean? Where's Sam? Are you ok? Tell me what happened?"

" _Sam? Sammy's fine…little bitch is sleeping soundly at the motel. We're ok, it just a simple salt and burn…ghost of some kid that was drowned in the bath by her mom, buried in the backyard."_

Some of the pain left his voice as Skye got Dean talking shop again. She hated to do it to him, but it was the only way she could calm the frightened boy who reared his head whenever Dean let his walls down. This was a side he rarely showed Sam, if at all, refusing to acknowledge his weakness, his fears. But Dean needed someone he could open up too when the alcohol seemed to outweigh the blood in his veins and Skye knew how privileged she was that he had chosen her.

But there were calls that Skye didn't want…calls that tore her open and left her bleeding with fear.

" _God, there's so much blood. I turned my back for just a minute, I swear and when I looked back, he was just lying there and there was all this blood. The doc's are doing what they can."_

" Sam? Sam where are you? I'll come to you…you hear? Just tell me where you are." Skye could hear the fear in Sam's voice, he sounded lost, so very lost without Dean and Skye felt so very helpless. " Sam? What the hell happened?"

" _No, Skye...it's a two day drive. I just…I just didn't know what to do. There was all that blood and he was so limp in my arms when I picked him up."_

" Sam, listen to me. Dean's gonna be ok. He's tough, we both know that. Just let the doctor's work their magic and you keep talking to me, ok? Tell me all about what happened. " Skye kept Sam talking until his phone cut out, panic setting into her bones as she hung up with a shaky hand and tears streaming down her face. It was another hour until she heard from Sam again, apologizing for his battery dying and how long it took to charge it again in the Impala. But by then, the doctor's had patched Dean back together and Skye was able to hear the relief in Sam's voice as he told her that his big brother was going to be just fine, only a short stay in hospital to repair the damage done by a poltergeist. Just another day on the job for them…another phone call in the middle of the night for Skye.

But it wasn't always bad either. There were the two photos Skye had been sent. Photos she had printed out and kept taped to her bedside table. One showed Sam sprawled across a motel bed, sound asleep from the way his limbs were hanging at all angles, making him look much, much younger than he was. A giant kid in a bed too small for him……with a pair of love heart boxers on his head. Dean could apparently get very childish when he was bored.

The second photo showed Dean very asleep in a chair, still sitting upright while wearing pink sunglasses with a flamingo in each top corner and a jester's cap. Sam wasn't beyond some childish pranking himself, it seemed.

Those were the moments Skye loved, when Sam and Dean could be themselves and have fun…just be brothers again.

Life had moved on for Skye. She spent her days chasing around after Connor, watching her little boy grow before her eyes, say his first words…one of which was Dean.

It broke her heart sometimes to think of her little boy growing up without a father…but despite the patient advances of several guys around town, Skye couldn't bring herself to even date. Her heart was already taken by a leather clad rogue. Skye was finally willing to admit that now.

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" Connor, come here, sweetie. It's time we got you into your jammies and put you to bed, little man." Skye held her arms out towards her son. He was sat in front of the tv, playing with two plastic SUVS. She smiled, watching him making soft brmm brmm sounds as he wheeled the trucks back and forth on the carpet.

Glancing at her watch, Skye realized it was time for CSI : Miami on the other channel and she picked up the remote to change channels, pausing as a Bulletin Card suddenly appeared announcing breaking news on a bank robbery in Milwaukee.

Skye watched as the news report displayed the scene, police and SWAT cars everywhere, the entire front of the bank lit up while off screen, a female reporter spoke of what was happening.

" _We're here downtown in front of the City Bank of Milwaukee, and though a short exchange of weapons fire occurred just minutes ago, police and SWAT teams maintain position as we enter the third hour of this intense standoff."_

The reporter appeared on camera then, Skye turning up the volume to hear what was happening over the top of Connor's playful babbling.

"_Authorities estimate as many as ten hostages are being held inside the bank; no word as yet on the identity of the suspects, or, uh, --" _

The camera began to shift as there was a commotion behind the reporter. She turned to see what was happening, the cameraman moving to get a better shot, zooming in on the bank entrance.

"_Something's happening. I think they're opening the door. Roger, are you getting this?"_

Skye watched, memerised. She'd never seen a live police siege and her heart was thumping a little faster, wondering if the people inside where okay? A man, by looks of his uniform, bank security, was being walked out the door while one of the bank robbers held a gun to his back, trying to shield himself from all the police.

" _No, don't shoot, don't shoot!" _

" _No, no, no, don't even think about it! Get the hell back! "_

Skye felt her skin prickle at the sound of the second voice. " Oh God…oh no…no, no….be someone else. Don't be his voice…please don't be his voice."

The camera zoomed in on the bank robber and Skye's heart leapt to her throat as she saw Dean staring at all the cops, the look on his face a mixture of little boy lost and deer in the headlights. Tears slipped silently down Skye's cheeks and she fumbled for her cellphone as Dean slipped back into the bank again.

The call went through to his voicemail and Skye tried to steel her voice before she spoke. " Dean? What the hell have you and Sam gotten into? Call me…please. I need to know you're both okay."

Why the hell would they be robbing a bank? No…there had to be more to it. Picking Connor up, Skye dressed him, trying not to let what she had seen get to her. The news continued in the background, the police giving statements to the camera about how they were dealing with the situation. The fact they had shot one of the bank robbers dead inside with a SWAT sniper.

It was all Skye could do, not to go out of her mind. One of the robbers? Was that Sam? What the hell was going on?

Skye carried Connor up to bed and tucked him in, smoothing his hair and turning on his favorite nightlight before she left the room and went back to the living room. She began to pace in front of the tv, listening to the live report while she tried again to ring Dean's cell, only to get voicemail again. " Dean, damn you. Pick up! Let me know if you guys are alright! Please?"

It was a few more hours of pacing, tears and outright panic, before Skye finally heard her phone ring and saw Dean's name. " Dean, thank God! What the hell? What happened? Are you alright? Is Sam okay…they said on the news that one of the robbers was shot dead?"

" _Ronald." _

" What?" Skye paused at the quietness in Dean's voice. He sounded so very lost and unsure of himself.

" _His name was Ronald. He…he was a good guy. He was trying to stop a shapeshifter…poor guy never had a chance." _There was a slight hitch to Dean's voice for a moment before he got it under control again. _" We're okay, Skye. Sam and I got away…but we're gonna have to drop off the radar for a while. I'm going to get rid of this number. When I can, I'll call you with my new one. Just don't worry about us. We'll be fine. We always are. Give that little guy a hug from me and Sam….and look after yourself." _

" Dean…wait.." But he was already gone. Skye closed her phone and dropped into an armchair, fresh tears spilling as she wondered what was happening with the boys now. She knew that they always had each others back….but how much worse was it going to be now that they were wanted everywhere?

Three days later, Skye knew things were bad when she woke up to find the Impala sitting in her driveway. At first, her heart had pounded excitedly in her chest, thinking that Dean had come to see her….but it was rapidly apparent that all she had was a huge black beast in the drive with no heart, no soul. Nothing but a note from Dean, pleading with Skye to look after his baby for him.

Giving up the Impala was the last thing Dean would have ever wanted to do and the fact he had? Told Skye that those boys were in serious trouble. She sent a silent plead to whoever would listen, that they would be looked after.

A whole year passed before she heard from Dean again…….

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	8. Chapter 8 Forebodings

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It was the same damn noise every night, the same noise that woke Skye from a dream she could never remember. No matter how much she tried, it was almost gone when she awoke, except for a feeling of foreboding and the sound of wings unfurling in her ears. She was losing her mind, Skye was sure of that. How was it possible to be haunted by a dream you couldn't recall?

Climbing out of bed, Skye pulled on a black silk robe, tying it around the middle before she slid her feet into a pair of pink fluffy slippers. Sleep was now the last thing on her mind and she wandered out of her room, pausing by Connor's bedroom to check on his son, smiling as he slept in his little race car bed soundly, clutching Mr Woobie, a fluffy brown bear that was his favorite.

Reassured that Connor was safe and sound, Skye made her way downstairs and switched on the laptop that sat on the dining room table. As the computer booted up, Skye wandered into the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee, staring out the kitchen window and across the yard where she could just spot the small cross that had been placed on the site Dodger was buried. Sometimes she contemplated getting another dog, because it seemed wrong that Connor should grow up with knowing the fun of having a pet…but she always shied away at the last minute, too worried about what could happen to it.

The kettle boiled beside her, steam rising as Skye made a large mug of instant with plenty of cream and sugar. Sitting down in front of the laptop, she logged into the secure chatroom that had been her nightly stop for the past six months. The Zocalo was the perfect place to trade information, chat to others about their experiences, even other Hunters. Skye had stumbled across this place one night, while researching the supernatural and had made a few friends here that she felt she could trust.

Entering the chatroom, Skye could see that most of the people in here tonight were "noobs" and she almost left straight away until one name caught her eye. Her fingers ghosted over the keys quickly as she typed, then rested easily waiting for a response.

SingleMom73: Haven't seen you in a while. How've you been?

DakotaVet: Getting by as always. Good to see you too. Everything alright with that boy of yours?

SingleMom73: He's asleep…helped me to wash and polish the Impala today.

DakotaVet: So you got that parcel okay? That polish and the leather soap is hard to find sometimes, but I know you wanted to keep what was used on the Impala before. I never have trusted the damn postal service. They always manage to screw you along the line, same as Government always does.

SingleMom73: LOL, you never change. Yeah, I got the parcel. Thanks. So, any word on them at all?

DakotaVet: Nope, none. Wish I could be more helpful, darlin'. I got word of sighting over in Duncan, Oklahoma. But after that? Nothing. No news is good news though.

SingleMom73: Yeah, I guess so. You have any luck with finding out what about this dream of mine?

DakotaVet: Dreams can have all sorts of meanings. You know that as well as I do. I've checked all the books I have on hand, but I've got nothing yet. Sorry. Look, I gotta go. It's getting pretty crazy out in the world lately. We had another case of frogs and fish falling from the sky in Texas. Blue Mesa in Colorado has turned to blood…things are getting bad. You keep your head down, look after that boy of yours. I'll be in touch.

DakotaVet has left the room

Skye stared at the screen for a moment, then picked up her now luke warm coffee and knocked it back quickly. " You take care of yourself too."

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It felt wrong, driving the Impala sometimes, especially when Skye was using it to get to work at the videostore. But it had been a year and all her careful love and attention to the black beast would go to waste if it was allowed to sit and sieze up. The trunk had been emptied of weapons before it was left with her, only a box of precious family memories left behind. Skye had kept them where they had been found. They belonged to Sam and Dean, it was no business of hers to go looking through them, all she had done so initially, mesmorized by the photos of such innocent looking boys, such a happy family.

The gentle scent of Sam and Dean had left the car a few months after they abandoned her to Skye's care. She kept it in pristine condition, making sure it was ready for Dean when he came back. Because he had to be coming back…there was no way Skye could bear to think otherwise.

But it was getting hard to remember that sometimes, when she heard nothing from them at all. No phonecalls, nothing. Just the occasional mention of a sighting when she talked to people in the chatroom at the Zocalo.

Skye glanced at her watch as she left the videostore, locking it up for the night and crossing the small carpark to where the Impala sat waiting for her like a faithful horse. She felt safer once she had slid behind the wheel, clicking down the lock on the driver's door and smiling as the engine roared to life when she turned the key.

A shooting star blazed through the sky ahead of her, Skye watching it through the windscreen, surprised when she saw another, and then another right after it. For several minutes, it seemed as though the sky was full of falling stars, before it all became dark again. " I'll be hearing about that all over the news tomorrow…" Skye laughed softly, heading for Maggie's house to pick up Connor.

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" Thanks, Maggie. You're an absolute life saver taking Connor on such short notice like that." Skye had her son asleep in her arms as she walked him to the car. Maggie Walrott walked her friend out. " Oh he's never any trouble, Skye, you know that. I just can't believe they can call you in to pull a night shift like that. They know you have Connor to consider."

" Yeah, but I need the money, so who am I to argue?"

" I still think it stinks. They need to give you more warning." Maggie gave Skye's shoulder a gentle pat as she bent down and buckled Connor's sleeping form into the booster seat in the back of the Impala. Skye gave her friend a hug and walked around to climb into the car herself. " I'll call you tomorrow, we'll go to that new café and have lunch? Okay?"

" Sure thing. I'll bring those new linen catalogues I got the other day…you never know, there might be something there you want."

Skye laughed. " Don't count on it. Night, Maggie."

The drive home was uneventful and by the time Skye had bundled Connor inside and into his bed, tucking Mr Woobie in with him, she was exhausted. It had been one hell of a long day and all she wanted was a shower and some sleep.

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It was the dream again…..Skye could sense it. Sense that she was asleep, that none of this was really happening. She felt like she was flying, roads and landscapes whirring past so fast, Skye almost wanted to be sick. None of it was familiar and when the township sign of Allen, Oklahoma suddenly appeared before her, large as life, Skye had no idea what it meant.

The sign was gone a moment later, the landscape whirling away again, carrying her over farm land until she found herself standing outside a barn. It was like walking through a silent movie, everything was washed out, faded. The colours around her, the sounds….it was all as if someone had turned down the volume, turned down the brightness.

Walking to the barn, Skye slowly pushed open the door, not sure what she would find, why she felt she should even be doing that. But she did. It was not so much a feeling, as a compulsion and as she stepped into the shadows of the building, the sound of wings filled the air and sent a chill down her spine.

A large winged figure was crouched in the middle of the barn. He looked almost human, dressed in a casual demin shirt and jeans that looked faded and worn, as though they had seen a lot of action. But it was the wings that jutted out from his shoulder blades that stole Skye's breath. They were huge, black, almost as if they were painted with wet ink, the few shafts of supposed sun that slipped in through gaps in the walls, giving them a glossiness that was stunning.

His wings were unfurled, spread out around him and whatever was on the ground in front of the figure.

Skye kept slowly approaching, her heart hammering in her chest as she watched the figure raise it's head and look at her. There was no face, nothing definable there. It was all shadows, obscuring any features, save for the eyes that shone like an animal's when headlights lit them up. Skye froze in her tracks, her mouth dry, wanting to run there and then from this creature before it moved. Before it could do whatever it was likely to do to her.

"_Save him…"_

" Who? Save who?"

"_Save him…."_

The figure folded it's wings behind him and Skye clasped a hand over her mouth to stifle the scream that wanted to erupt. There on the ground, lying in a pool of blood, was Dean.

Skye awoke with a start, her hands still clutching at the sheets that were now cold with sweat. The name Allen, Oklahoma was screaming in her mind as she scrambled out of bed and got dressed. It took a few minutes to grab several changes of clothes for her and Connor, throwing them into a carry bag. Skye slung the bag over her shoulder, then went and woke Connor up, slipping his Spiderman robe on to keep him warm and making sure he had Mr Woobie before she left.

He laid his head back down on Skye's shoulder and was almost asleep again by the time she got him to the car. Once she was sure he was safely belted in, Skye ran back into the house, scooped up her laptop and cell phone, then ran back out, closing the door behind her.

Two words kept echoing in her ears, the voice rich, deep and sad…pleading with her.

_Save him._

The Impala spat gravel as Skye roared out of the driveway and headed for the open road. It would take her a day and a half if she pushed herself and Skye had no doubts that she would do anything less. Dean needed her….but where the hell was Sam? What was it all about?

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	9. Chapter 9 Nightmare Realised

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It took a day and a half of hard driving for Skye to reach Allen, Oklahoma. She had drank enough coffee to pay for a third world country's foreign debt, even taken a couple of those pills she'd managed to get off truckers to keep them awake on long hauls. Nothing illegal…mainly herbal. But strong enough to keep her awake and on the road. Connor was easily appeased with loud music and a few brief stops to allow him to stretch his legs, but for the most part of the trip, he slept and Skye was never more grateful to have such a good child.

As the Impala rolled through Allen, Skye found herself taking a turn off she knew would be up ahead. Everything had been so perfectly mapped out in her dream and now she was following it as if on autopilot. Within a half hour, Skye had pulled up out front a pleasant looking farmhouse with a brilliant red Quaker barn. It was just how she had pictured it in her dream and Skye checked that Connor was safe in the car for a moment while she walked to the farmhouse. " I'll be right back, sweetie. Mommy will just be a minute, I promise."

There was no sign of life, no sounds. Skye reached to knock on the front door, hoping that some bewildered looking farmer would answer and tell her she was crazy. The voice in the back of her mind was still urging her to go and check out the barn…but the image of Dean lying in a pool of blood was so daunting. Skye couldn't help but pray she was wrong, that it was simply a bad dream.

But no one answered the door. It swung open instead and the smell of death hung in the air. Glancing over at the car and seeing that Connor was happily playing with his purple bumble bee toy that hung above him from the window, Skye took the chance to leave him there long enough to investigate.

Skye could hear the flies buzzing the moment she stepped into the house, the smell stronger now and making her gag. Walking down the hallway, she checked out the living room, finding it empty, then the kitchen. It was the dining room that she found the bodies of a man and a woman, both dead. The man, greying, in his early fifties, appeared to have had his throat cut open with his own steak knife, the blood pooled out on the table before him in a sticky mess that covered his now cold and spoiling dinner. His wife sat next to him, a knife through one eye.

One look at the pair, the smell wafting up from the food, the blood and the death laid out before her…and Skye was doubling over, bringing up what little food and coffee she had consumed in the last couple of hours. Dragging a shaky hand over her mouth, Skye spat to clear the taste. The table had been set for five…three plates were still sitting there, barely touched, the chairs pushed back as if in a hurry.

What the hell had happened here? Was the killer of this couple still here? Was Dean here?  
Skye's dream came rushing back full force and she turned and bolted from the house. Connor was getting restless in the car. Skye climbed in and took the Impala closer to the barn, parking it just outside the open doors so that it was in the daylight and within sight at all times from inside.

There was a hand gun in the glove box. A .38 snub nose that had been found under the front seat. Whether Dean had always stored it there for emergencies or it had simply ended up there by accident, Skye wasn't sure, but she tucked it into her jeans and looked over at her son. " Stay put, Connor. Try and be good for Mommy. Be quiet." She turned the stereo on softly and picked up Connor's drink cup from the front seat. In a bag beside her was a few packets of potato chips and a small bottle of orange juice that she filled the cup with. The juice had lost it's chill, but it would keep Connor happy for now. Skye wanted to get him out of here, somewhere safe. But there was no where.

She would be quick, be in and out before Connor had time to get upset. Skye handed her son the drink cup over the back seat and left the Impala, locking the door behind her.

The barn was dark still, but there was movement and sounds coming from within it. Growls, the shuffling of feet on the hay that covered the floor. It sent a chill down Skye's spine and she drew the gun, suddenly wishing she'd brought a cannon…maybe a small nuclear device. Anything that would have looked more intimidating than the snub nose.

The barn smelt of hay, animals of all size and description and other scents that were exotic and pungent all at once. Skye couldn't identify any of them except for the sharp twin headed odour of salt and sulphur. " Dean?"

Nothing but a low growl from the shadows. Deep, wet sounding…like a pit bull that had been starved and could hear dinner approaching.

" Dean…if you're here, answer me." Skye couldn't keep the tremor from her voice.

Moving deeper into the barn, Skye could just make a form lying still on the ground, twenty feet from her. The brown of the familiar leather coat almost matched the darker stain surrounding it. " Oh my god….DEAN!" Skye was on the move before she even thought to check for danger around him, dropping to her knees in the dirt, hay and congealed blood. Skye rolled Dean over, her stomach clenching at how pale he looked, how cold he felt. There was an awful tear in his stomach, the t-shirt and overshirt he always wore, soaked in his own blood. Skye's fingers ghosted over his still form, searching for a pulse, gently touching his lips to find any breathe. But there was nothing and the sob that wrenched itself from deep within felt like a knife to the heart. She was too late…

" Free me."

Skye spun towards the voice, the .38 already clutched tightly as she turned and found herself staring at the figure from her dream. It was trapped within a circle of power, unable to cross the salt and other oils that had been poured out to hold it. It paced back and forth, silky black wings folded elegantly behind it's back, looking like a caged animal. " I can help him…free me." The voice was thick, rich, gutteral as it spoke. It almost hurt Skye's ears and her hand trembled with the gun in it.

" You're not getting anywhere near him. Haven't you done enough already?" Skye demanded, reaching out with her other hand, her fingers grasping Dean's jacket and dragging his body onto her lap. She folded over him then, tears falling on Dean as she rocked his body, quietly whispering her desperate apologies for being too late, for not being able to save him. Her world had come crashing around her.

" You're running out of time. You have to listen to me!" The winged figure spoke again, it's wings unfurling to beat against the invisible barrier holding it.

" Why?" Skye gently laid Dean back down, trying not to think of his green eyes that would never look at her again, those soft, perfect lips that she have dreamt of so often, now still and blue. " Why should I do anything but send you back where you belong?"

Stumbling to her feet, Skye walked toward the figure, taking in for the first time, the scene before her. There was a young girl, maybe all of 12, lying nearby, torn open, her eyes staring at Skye sightlessly in death. " What happened here? What did you do?"

" Nothing, I'm as much a victim here as Dean and that girl."

" Don't you say his name." Skye spat, wishing she had holy water to throw at the thing. " You have no right to say his name."

" I was saying his name long before you, girl." The figure said sharply, it's eyes glowing a pale yellow like a cat. " I gave him that name. I gave him life and I'm not about to stand here arguing with you while he slips away. Get me some water. Please?"

Skya stopped, stunned that this figure, this demon by the looks of it, was asking for the mercy of a drink?

" Please…" It's voice was softer, almost human sounding.

Skye fought against what she knew, against the fact that demons lied and everything else she had learnt in the time since Sam and Dean had crossed paths with her life. In her dream, the figure hadn't felt threatening, it had been crouched over Dean, as if protecting him. So why was this so different?

" Wait…" Skye's voice shook as much as her hands as she turned and ran back to the Impala. An empty plastic cup lay on the floor of the passengers side floor pan. Skye snatched it up, then scooped water from a watering trough just inside the barn doors before she hesitantly walked back to the figure and with her heart pounding in her chest, handed it the cup of water.

The figure was careful not to allow it's hand to touch the barrier as it accepted the water, then tipped it out on the floor.

" What the hell?" Skye demanded, stepping back, horrified for a moment that she had helped it break the salt ring. But the ring was intact, the figure still held within.

" Thank you." The figure nodded it's head gently at her, then held it's arm it's mouth and bit down deeply on it's wrist. Black, thick blood surged up within the wound and began to drip in a steady stream that the figure caught in the now empty cup. Once it was filled, the figure held the cup towards the edge of the ring. " Take this and pour it down his throat."

" What are you, nuts? I'm not helping you defile Dean! Haven't you done enough to him. He's dead, dammit, leave him alone!"

" Give him the blood. I nearly lost him once…I can't have gone through all this for nothing. Please. Sam needs him. Give him the blood." The figure was pleading now and Skye felt as though she had been punched in the stomach. Sam? This creature was talking about Sam..talking about Dean as though it knew them.

Taking a step forward and praying to whoever would listen that she was making the right move. Skye took the cup from the figure and looked at it, grimacing at the liquid moving slowly inside it. Kneeling down beside Dean, she gently cradled his head, then poured the thick, oily looking blood into his mouth. " I'm sorry, Dean…I'm sorry." Tears welled up as Skye saw a trickle of blood spill from the side of Dean's mouth. The blood slowly slid down his throat, what blood wasn't spilled anyway. Once the cup was empty, Skye laid Dean out on the ground and gently placed a hand over his, her fingers tracing the silver ring he wore.

A sucking cough broke from Dean as his body jacknifed suddenly, his eyes flying open and looking around wildly.

Skye skittered back at first, shocked at the sudden burst of life where there had been none. But the pain and confusion that filled Dean's eyes immediately drew her back to his side. " Dean…Dean..it's alright. Shhhhh, you're going to be alright."

Dean locked eyes with Skye, recognition flooding in before his eyes slid closed again and he became still.

" Dean?!" Skye looked at the figure, furious. " What did you do to him?"

" He's alive. That's all I could give him. My essence, my own blood to replace what he lost. " The figure explained. " He's needs a hospital, medical care. Now."

Skye nodded, reaching down to feel a thready pulse on Dean's neck. His chest was rising and falling unsteadily…but at least it was rising and falling. Before she could move him though, there was one thing left to do.

Rising to her feet, Skye walked to where the figure was still being held and scuffed her foot through the salt circle surrounding it.

The effect was instant, the figure unfurled it's wings proper, their impressive span alll the more impressive now that Skye could see the glossy black sheen of their coat for real. The figure took a step and buckled to it's knees, shaking as it's hands touched the ground and clenched into fists, digging up the soil and hay as they did so. The figure looked up at Skye and she was surprised to see that where there had been no face before…there was now the beginnings of one. The shadows that had framed it before where beginning to bleed away. The eyes that had been reflective and cat like, were now full of sorrow and pain. Eyes that had seen too much and lost too many. " Go…get Dean out of here."

Skye didn't argue. She'd done all she could for the winged figure. Now it was time to save Dean and maybe find out what had happened to Sam, where he was? Pulling Dean over her shoulder in a fireman's hold, Skye stumbled to the Impala and carefully slid Dean into the passenger side.

Connor began to cry in the back, sensing something was wrong, picking up on the myriad of feelings emanating from Skye.

" It's okay, Connor. Everything's going to be okay, sweetie. Just a little bit longer and we can get out of the car. Who's my brave little guy, huh?" Skye said in the rearview mirror as she climbed in behind the wheel and gunned the engine, trying to to think about the way Dean was lying there so still, covered in his own blood. She had him back and dammit, she wouldn't lose him now. The Impala was slammed into reverse and Skye got them the hell out of there, blasting towards the nearest hospital.

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	10. Chapter 10  The End Of Everything

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The hospital was small, quaint even. Skye had spent two hours pacing the waiting room with Connor, playing games with him, reading to him from crappy women's magazines, before she got any word on Dean. She stood quietly, Connor's tiny hand in hers as the little boy looked up, not understanding what was being said.

The doctor explained how lucky Dean was, how with all the internal injuries he had suffered, he should be dead. Skye fought the urge to laugh at those words, because somehow she didn't think the doctor would find her reasons for it to be sane. Hell, Skye wasn't sure herself. The barn seemed all a blur to her now. What the hell had she released? Why had it helped Dean? What had happened there anyway? All those questions and yet no answers were to be found yet.

" Can I see him?"

" He's not awake, Miss Anderson. Dean's in a coma. It's possible he might never wake up after all that damage." The doctor warned solemnly.

" Can I see him anyway?"

" Of course. Room 23."

Skye picked Connor up in her arms and walked there, feeling so tired….so very tired now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

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Dean looked so peaceful when she found him. For a moment, it was easy to look past the breather tube and the wires linking Dean to so many different monitors and just think he was asleep. That any minute now he would open those dazzling green eyes of his and flash that winning smile that made Skye's heart ache.

Connor was curled up in Skye's arms, having long grown bored with the games of Patty Cake and This Little Piggy. She cradled him against her, his head on her shoulder, one little hand tucked up to allow his thumb to rest againt his bottom lip.

It wasn't the most comfortable of positions, but Skye had been in worse before.

" Those doctors are full of crap. Dean's going to be fine."

Skye sat up at the sound of a voice that was strange yet familiar all at once. There was a rich resonance to it that she recognised, but it was softer, expressive and warm. The gutteral rasp she had heard in the barn completely gone.

Looking over at the door, Skye's breath caught in her throat. The man was leaning against the door frame in a denim shirt that was rolled up to the elbows. Faded blue jeans hugged his legs, the cuffs covering a pair of well worn leather work boots. Several days worth of growth covered the man's face, surrounding one of the most warm, yet sad smiles she'd ever seen. " He's strong. I made sure of that. Raised both those boys tough so they would survive this."

Skye knew that face. It had jumped out at her from the old photos tucked away in the trunk of the Impala. The man standing in front of her was John Winchester, supposedly dead father of Dean and Sam. And yet here he was….large as life…and sporting the most stunning set of inky black wings that Skye had ever seen. " Mr. Winchester?"

" Mr. Winchester's my father." John drawled easily. " Call me John." He smiled then, letting it light up his eyes. " Nice work." He nodded towards the salt ring that surrounded Dean's bed. " You'll want to keep doing that until he's awake. Make sure nothing tries to get inside him while he's vulnerable."

Now it was Skye's turn to nod. She fought to find the right words. What the hell did you say to a guy that was supposed to be dead? A guy that was standing only a few feet away, looking so casual, yet so magnificant all at once. Before she could say anything though…John was speaking again.

" You need to move Dean."

" Move him? I just got him here. He's in a coma…he needs to be looked after. Time to recover."

" He can get that anywhere. All those machines aren't what's going to heal Dean. Only time can do that and right now? You're running out of it. You need to get out of here, get out of town. Find somewhere quiet and hole up til it's over." John warned Skye. " I've found you a place to go. But we have to go now."

" Go? Go where, John? What the hell is happening?"

" The end of everything…" John said gravely, his wings shifting on his back as he watched his son, pain etched deeply in his eyes.

To be continued in Broken Lands……


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